How do you maintain positivity in your life? Positivism is a forceful word, it comprises many different ways of being positive or optimistic, however, the focus of this article is mainly on your inner self. We are driven by so many expectations of self and significant others that in the process we forget or neglect to feed our inner-self with positive energy. It is amazing how one can find peace and joy from little simple things in life, they are priceless but yet we fail so much to notice them.
I’m referring to little blessings from nature or as I call it “nature’s tranquilisers”. They are free, positive, rewarding and paromote a positive outlook on life events. These are the tears, laughter and rain.
Ask yourself when last you stand in the rain and received the blessings from above? Also, ask yourself when was the last time you had a good free and loud laugh until your stomach cramped? When was the last time you cried out from the deepest part of your heart, simply because you were sad or happy? Most of us don’t really notice it, but after the rains have fallen, after a good laugh or a cry, the heart feels a sense of releasement and the soul is often positively inspired.
We need to acknowledge these emotions and embrace them, in that sense, you strengthen your inner-self positively.
A person’s well-being or positive living is strengthened a lot by how he/she perceives him/herself from inside. This can be referred to as your self-concept. Self-concept can be positive or negative depending on life events, beliefs, cultural norms and values, and socialisation among others. These elements play a significant role in how a person’s self-concept develops. Often times how we grew up shapes us, our roots determine who we become in future but it’s also important to highlight that your inner-self is shaped by many other elements. Therefore, it is vital for us to have constant activities that positively develop our inner-self and thus enhancing personal growth. You can do this by listening to your emotions carefully, acknowledging these emotions and thus allowing yourself to fully feel/express them. This is significant especially if strong emotions like internal stigma exist. They end up being so overwhelming that one feels like you carrying a bucket of water on your shoulder if you don’t disclose or share the burden/pain with someone, the bucket can spill over on the ground. And you know what wisdom says about once the water spilt, it cannot be gathered up again.
Positive living is thus accepting oneself the way you are, casting out self-limiting beliefs, practising good mental, physical and spiritual health, being emotionally free, dealing, learning and growing from challenges and finally having a healthy relationship with yourself and others, and finally looking out to the future with hope and determination. Meditate, listen to good music, go for a run, climb a mountain, herd the cattle into the field, stand in the rain, read a good book, sing out loud, laugh out loud, visit a loved one, say a simple ‘hi’ to a stranger in the street, help an elder in need, sing with the young ones, go sit by the dam and listen to birds, watch the landscapes while travelling, cry freely, pray and finally always get inspired and inspire others. Like Barbara Rose once said; “Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher.
When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.”