Times are really different these days. Not just for me or for you, but quite frankly, for everybody. New ways of working, new ways of educating and new ways of social interacting. New ways of shopping, of going for a walk and how to spend your holidays. Drive-by birthday parties are happening every week in our neighborhood. Sometimes new things are hard to embrace, but even harder to embrace when almost everything you are used to doing has changed in the blink of an eye. It doesn’t matter if you’re old or young, straight or gay, white or black. With the world changing so quickly, all of these changes can come with fear and anxiety.
There are many ways to deal with all of this change. But the one thing I always practice is to be positive. It may sound like a cliché that has little meaning. However, it’s the way I live my life. Is it always easy? No. But I do believe that we all have a choice to make in our life. There are people and circumstances that make it difficult sometimes to be positive – but it’s how we choose to react to them that helps define us.
I had a client recently ask what is the biggest misperception of me. I told him, truthfully, that the biggest misperception is that I’m always positive and always “up”. More times than not, it’s easy for me to be positive. But there are many times when I encounter a person or circumstance that are negative and adverse – which makes it hard to see the glass as half full. But honestly, I take a step back, breathe in through my nose and out my mouth, and remind myself that the person or circumstance does not define who I am – or how I want to treat others. Those little momentary breathing pauses can shift your mood from depressing to peaceful. From negative to positive. From “I can’t do this again” to “It’s going to be OK”.
What I am sure of is that the world will continue on, and that we will be given a chance to define our new vision of normal. And as the weeks go by, I try to find the silver linings. And I share those silver linings with my family and friends. There is a quote from Lisa Currie that says “You may not always see the results of your kindness, but every bit of positive energy you contribute to the world makes it a better place for all of us.”
It takes very little to put some positivity into the world. It could be a call or a text to a friend to let them know you’re thinking about them. It could be a quick social media post that would make them smile. It can be as simple as baking some scones and dropping them off on your neighbor’s porch to let them know you are thinking of them. Quite honestly, it could be as easy as dropping off a roll of bathroom tissue with a little note wishing them the best day ever! As I said, times have changed, and so have the ways you can bring positivity to someone’s day.
So when I look up at my orange tree, I don’t see the tree only has one orange. I look at the tree and am positively thankful for the one orange that is there.
And remember to take a deep breath every now and again to reset. Be well.