Becoming the Positive One

 It's funny, I'm not really sure when it changed, but at some point I went from being that girl who saw the negatives in everything to being that woman that found the light in everything she did.  Have to wake up early for work?  Dang, but did you see the sunrise this morning?  Exhausted from a long day?  Yes, but I go so much accomplished today.  It rained again?  Look how much my tomato plant is growing!  I'm serious, these are real things that I have one hundred percent said in my life in the past few weeks, and I'm not mad about it.

Recently, I've had more and more people tell me about how they view me as a person and it truly is inspiring.  While one acknowledges how my smile makes their day seem a little brighter, another comments on my ability to always pull the one good thing out of a situation.  One person tells me they view me as the most confident person they know while another tells me they strive to be as carefree as I am so consistently.  But the truth is, it's not as easy as one thinks.

    I didn't use to wake up every day, early in the morning and say "what a beautiful sunrise", but rather I trained myself to enjoy something that I did love regardless of the time of day.  Soon enough the early morning turned into being able to experience the sunrise with a fresh cup of coffee in my hand.

    My smile became more prevalent when I celebrated a little moments in life.  A simple compliment.  A kind gesture.  Anything that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside was an excuse to smile.  And when I did, people noticed.  My facial features softened and I became more approachable in life.

    When I was a manager, I had to be the stronger one.  I had to be the motivator, the one who would keep these people going regardless if the task was fun or not.  I turned it into a game.  Yeah, cleaning kind of sucks, but I'll let you go home early.  Yeah it's raining, but at least you're working instead of having the day off.  I found myself constantly searching for positives in the day, not for myself, but for those around me.  They may have already been having a day, why would I add to that?

    Confidence is such a bitter sweet attribute because it can be faked so easily.  I tell everyone all the time, no one is confident, they are just determined to do something.  If you act confident, people will believe you even if you are scared out of your mind.  One can come off as the most confident person in the world and I guarantee they will be some of the most self-conscious people ever.

    I wish I could say being carefree is as fun as it looks but it can be just as stressful.  While I love doing things spontaneously and out-of-the-ordinary, there are more times than I care to admit when I wasn't really sure if I would make it home alive.  Being carefree is just a mindset.  

Being the positive one isn't easy.  It is easier to view the world how everyone else does, to see the misconceptions and the problems and focus on the negatives.  That's why we do it, because it's easy.  But the thing most people forget is positivity is easier when surrounded by positivity.  The times I have felt the most lost in my life were when I was surrounded by people who don't lift me up.  I know, I know, but how can I leave my friends?  They're all I have.  The kicker is you don't have to leave them.  Some you just outgrow and you just have to accept that.

I always thought people who were positive in life were just like that always but they're not.  They are like that because they surround themselves with atmospheres that create positivity.  It goes like this: If an alcoholic were to quit drinking, but left all the liquor bottles and beer cans in plain sight, chances are, they will probably have a very hard time quitting because they are constantly reminded of the thing they are trying to get rid of.  

Becoming the positive one doesn't happen overnight.  It takes time and it's not constant.  There are days I do not have the energy to be the happy, bubbly person everyone expects me to be.  And that's okay.  Because if you surround yourself with the right people, they will be there for you when you need someone else to shine for you.

To become the positive one, you must first separate yourself from the negative ones.