How to Stay Positive in a Negative World

“The sky is falling! The sky is falling” Cried Chicken Licken to Henny Penny,

“We must go tell the king!”

If one was to judge the state of the world by the things we see on the news or read in the papers, we would say that Chicken Licken was right; the sky really is falling.

However, although we are living in perilous times, we don’t need to be consumed with negativity, panic or fear. There is much we can do to not only become more positive but flourish in today’s negative world.

Here are just a few ideas that will help give you a happy outlook on life.

1. Take Control

Feeling powerless can be debilitating. To counteract that, the first thing we can do is take control of our thoughts. When we make a choice to be in control of how we handle any given situation, we immediately feel better.

Viktor Frankl, an Austrian Psychiatrist survived the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz. In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” he teaches this truth:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way… And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom.”

Over the years I have come to realize that positive people don’t have perfect lives.

On my step-dad’s answering machine you will hear a cheerful voice that says, “Hello isn’t it a beautiful day!” His cheerfulness and positivity have made him one of the most loved men I know. Is his life perfect? No, he lost his vision a few years ago. It was a horrible disease that changed his life, but it never changed his attitude. He still has his love of people and of life. He is still happy.

2. Banish the Negative

For the next twenty-four hours, banish any negative comments and replace them with positive. This little exercise will help you see just where you rate on a positive/negative scale. The results may surprise you.

3. Chose to do Right

We can’t control the world, but if everyone made moral choices, this world would simply be a better place.

The other day I purchased some new clothes. I felt a bit nervous waiting to hear the final price. When the clerk said “That will be $27.50.” I knew that she had made a mistake. For a brief moment I thought, “Well, if she says so, I should just let it go.” I knew however, if it was the reverse, if she had overcharged me, I would be upset. So, I pointed out her mistake and gave her the extra fifty-five dollars that I owed. She was not only grateful but shocked that I would be so honest.

Someone once said, “When I do good, I feel good.” When I walked out of that store, I knew those words to be true. I felt fabulous. I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with a guilty conscience.

4. Read Uplifting Literature

A good way to counteract the negative is to read uplifting books.

As a child, I read the classic, “Jane Eyre.” This novel is about Jane an orphan who has many tragedies in her young life. Ultimately she triumphs over adversity with her moral courage. This book had an enormous impact on some of the choices I made in my life.

Reading scriptures, biographies and inspirational novels, is one way we can surround ourselves with positive inspiration.

5. Be Grateful

In this day of abundance, some people have the mistaken idea that it is what we have that makes us happy. On a trip to Africa, I was in the most humble of homes.

I saw naked children and ragged looking adults. I have had countless people tell me that they couldn’t go on a trip like that because it would be too sad. How mistaken they are, for I didn’t see sadness. I saw a people who were not only happy, but joyful.

Happiness doesn’t come from possessions; it comes from being grateful for what we have.

While at work in the portrait studio, a bride came in to view her pre-wedding portraits. This disgruntled young woman was displeased with everything from the photographer to her future husband. Trying to make her happy I informed her that someone had given her a gift and prepaid for a portrait. Her face fell and with a little pout she replied, “I can’t believe that is all they are giving me!”

One day my daughter took her son Taylor on an Easter egg hunt. There were about ten children involved in the search. All the children were scurrying to collect as many eggs as possible. All that is, except two year old Taylor. He would find an egg, slowly turn it around in his hands, study it for a minute and then decide if it was worthy of his collection. If he didn’t like it, he would put it back and go in quest of another. At the end of the hunt he didn’t have nearly as many eggs as the other children but those he had were prized possessions. He left the party with a big grin on his face.

When the weight of the world is on your shoulders, be grateful and count your blessings!

6. Good Works

The Boy Scouts were really onto something when they chose the slogan, “Do a good turn daily.”

Years ago I was suffering from depression. One day my mother demanded me to get in the car. Thinking she was taking me shopping I eagerly agreed. Imagine my disappointment when she drove me over to the church. “What are we doing here?” I required in my coldest tone possible. She informed me that she had volunteered my services to accompany a senior citizen choir. I was furious! After some persuading I walked into the choir room and found fifteen elderly women eagerly awaiting my arrival.

Try as I might to maintain my anger and depression, before I knew it, I was singing along with these old ladies as I played the piano. That day was the beginning of my recovery.

Serving others changes the world. It changes the people we serve and it changes ourselves.

7. Faith

Ultimately it helps to know that there is a higher being that is in control of this Universe in whom we can trust. I was once teaching a class for newly arrived immigrants to help them assimilate into our society. At the end of the class I asked this question. What do we do when there is perhaps no solution to our problem? The answer was supposed to be, “To accept the things we can not change.” Conversely, a Vietnamese refugee timidly raised his hand and said in broken English. “There is always solution. We can pray.”

So for all you Chicken Lickens out there, you can go tell the king that there may be ominous black clouds, rain, sleet or hail, but no, the sky is not falling. We can not only be positive but we can be very happy in this topsy turvy world.