Find Something Positive in Everything
Dear Lord,So far today, I am doing all right. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or self-indulgent. I have not whined, cursed or eaten any chocolate. However, I am going to get out of bed in a few minutes, and I will need a lot more help after that. Amen.
If this prayer proves anything, it is that you can find something positive in everything. Once you decide to have a positive attitude no matter what situation you are in, you will begin to find something positive in everything. How do you do that? Let me give you three suggestions as to how you might find something positive in everything:
Count your blessings.
We will talk more about gratitude later this year, but take time every day and count your blessings. So often we forget how much we have been blessed. I know for each of you that with wonderful families, compassionate hearts, great leadership skills and I could go on and on. But take the time every day and think of those things that you have been blessed with. It will be very difficult once you count your blessings not to have a positive attitude because you each have been blessed in so many ways.
Surround yourself with positive people.
The old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Find those people in your life who are positive and spend as much time with them as you can. What will happen is that you will feed off each other positivity. And even when you aren’t with them, you will be able to take that positive energy you have experienced and it will help you deal with the negative people that you will invariably will encounter in your day to day activities.
Say something positive in every conversation.
I tend to be a very affirming person. Part of the reason that I am is because I like to be affirmed. Therefore I try to find something positive to say in every conversation I have. It could be something you appreciate about them (e.g. “I really appreciate your positive attitude”). It could be a thank you (e.g. “I know I don’t say it very much but thank you for all the hard work that you have been putting in on that project.”). It could be a compliment, especially to your wife or kids (“You know what son, I have really noticed how hard you have working on your homework, you did a great job and I am proud of you.”). I had a conference president who practiced this and even in the most difficult of situations, people seemed to appreciate his positive words and his positive attitude. Of course it must be sincere, but compliment, praise, acknowledge, bolster and raise people up.
I will admit that it sometimes not very easy to find something positive in everything. But I am convinced that as you continue to have a positive attitude, you will be able to see those positive things in your everyday life. Even when “life hands you lemons, you can make lemonade” because you have a positive attitude.
Conversation
What situations can you think of that if you had a positive attitude and found something positive in that situation it might have turned out differently?
What areas of your life do you tend to have difficulty having a positive attitude and finding positive things?