more positive

Growing up, my parents always had the same daily question for my brother and I when we got home—”How was school today?”

Most of the time, our first response was short. “Good” and “fine” were pretty common. I’m sure my brother and I are not the only elementary students that gave those responses to our parents after school, though.

My parents usually didn’t settle for one worded answers, however, and we had to explain in more depth how the day went. Around the time when I was in fourth grade, my “in depth” explanations usually only included the negatives experiences of the day. For some reason, fourth grade Mamie was convinced that only the bad things were worth sharing at the end of the day.

My mom got tired of the negative responses pretty quickly. She said that if I wanted to share one negative event of the day, I had to share at least two positives. At first, I remember it felt like pulling teeth to think of two positives to every negative. After a bit though, I found myself sharing far more positive experiences than negative experiences from the day. It became natural to have a more positive mindset.

While I’m not ten years old reflecting on my school day anymore, I find myself using this “two positive to every negative” practice often. It reminds me that there is so much more positive in my life when I take the time to appreciate what I have and what I have experienced.

We all have a lot more positive than we probably realize. At the end of each day, we should all be listing off far more positive than negative moments. The last few months of traveling and meeting new people have given me countless positive moments to cherish.

While traveling is on pause, the positive moments have not been put on pause.

The past few days, my friends and I have reached out to people from all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to share more positivity in our world. Words of encouragement, silly dance moves, inspirational quotes, and new hobbies were shared, and so much more. Over 52 reasons to be more positive were shared in a fifteen minute video.

If we all took the time to spend just five minutes to reflect on the more positive parts of the day, how many joyful things would come to mind? If we shift to a more positive mindset, how would it positively impact our actions, and the people around us? What if our being more positive leads to someone else recognizing they can be more positive as well? Our positive thoughts and words can make a world of a difference to someone who is in need of encouragement. We all are capable of being more positive, so why not start today?

Need some motivation for a more positive mindset right now? Look no further.

There’s more to be positive about.

There’s more to it all.