If I can imagine negative outcomes and stressful scenarios, than surely I can imagine positive ones right? Absolutely. It takes practice and it takes patience with yourself, but you can train yourself to focus on the positive aspects of your life. And yes, no matter how dismal things may seem at any given moment, there are always positives. They are hiding in plain sight. You just have to look for them. My mom used to always tell me, "you find what you search for." Meaning, whatever it is that you set your intentions of discovering will appear. Everything in life exists simultaneously. Where there is good there is bad. So, if you are intent on finding something bad, you will because it's there. But the good is there also. How you experience life is largely up to what you choose to place your attention on. If you seek out positivity and joy you'll find it. What you look for in life, you will actually begin to see more of. Have you ever experienced meeting someone for the first time who you hadn't previously been aware of, and then suddenly you feel like you start seeing them everywhere? Seeking out positivity is sort of like that. It's like that person that has been there all along ( in your neighborhood, at your school, at your job) , that for one reason or another you hadn't noticed or paid attention to. Once, you become familiar with what positivity looks like, you begin to see it everywhere you go. What ever it is that you pay attention to, is what you are subconsciously training your brain to notice more of. With this in mind, we can then choose to search for the positive things we would like to see. Gratitude journaling is one practical way that we can begin to train our brains to lean toward positivity. When you seek out things every day to be grateful for, you will start to find them. When you notice how much you already have, more things will come. Gratitude journaling helps shift your awareness. It makes you stop and pay attention to the things, the people, the places, and the feelings in your life that fill your spirit with content. Sometimes simply noticing the beauty around you is the thanks that it deserves. Acknowledgement can be the biggest thank you. Recognition can be validation. It's like the character Shug Avery says in Alice Walker's The Color Purple, "I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it." Acknowledge the beauty in your life. Recognize the every day miracles you are surrounded by.
When you seek out love, kindness, joy, and hope you will find them everywhere you turn. Even in the most seemingly dismal of times, there is still light. It's like being out in the wilderness on a dark night. Should you choose to lift your gaze and shift your perspective, you'll notice that the darkest skies are where the stars shine brightest.
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