Remember in 2014 when my life was filled with abundance and I wrote this blog post? Well, there’s always a flip side. 2015 has been a little tough, y’all, and we’re 75% through.
SO, what to do? Other than live in a paper bag, or start a serious magic brownie habit, or obsess over collecting stamps in order to feel like my life is in order?
Here’s what I do. They are: 1. Live my daily life with determination (ie. take showers and eat, no matter what!); 2. Make connections with others; 3. Find the positive within the negative.
Yes: Find the positive within the negative! Also known as, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Or, “Change your point of view.” Or, “Opening yourself to abundance.” Or, “Shut up with the complaining already.” How you phrase it depends on your lifestyle, I guess.
I’ve found the trick to finding the positive within the negative is that the positive must be sincere. My mind is smart. My mind will know if I am shooting the $hit. Rather than lie to myself, the purpose of this is to exercise my powers of empathy towards myself and others in order to focus in on the positive. At best, it works really well. At worst, it cracks me up when I say the positive aloud. So, not a bad risk to take.
Here are some examples of real, actual statements that MAY OR MAY NOT have really, actually crossed my real, actual mind lately:
- “That person was the most selfish person I’ve ever met. I can’t believe I wasted my time hanging out with them.” —–> “I’m so glad I met that person, because now I know that I am capable of befriending a wide variety of people in a mature way.”
2. “He is so entitled. I hate him.” ——> “He passionately pursues the things he wants in life, which is why he gets upset whenever he doesn’t get exactly what he wants.”
3. “She is such a gossip.” ——-> “She cares about people in her life, which is why she talks about them.”
4. “I will never get better at life.” —–> “I am dedicated to my work. The fact I am noticing things I am not good at is proof that I am learning new things.”
What are your negatives? I bet you can flip your perspective on those, too.
It’s a good meditation for these days. Maybe you’ll fall in love with someone you think you hate. Or, at the least, maybe you’ll smile when you think about them.
XO,
Elisa

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