The Power of Positive Thinking

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I'm a natural born pessimist, a bit of a Debbie downer, if you will.  I like to think of it as being "realistic" or "practical."  Whatever spin you put on it, though, I typically see the glass half empty.  I've known this about myself for a long time, and it's not something I'm proud of.  In fact, I really wish I was more of an optimist.  Let's face it, optimistic people are typically much more enjoyable to be around and usually find more overall joy in life. I've been working on being more optimistic for a while now but have been falling miserably short.  I always chalk it up to my personality or say, "That's just the way God made me."  But, I've been realizing that it is possible to become more optimistic and find more joy in the circumstances around me.  This, however, does not happen on its own or even easily.  Rather, it takes a conscious and concerted effort.

So, I'm on a quest to become a more positive thinker. This started a couple of weeks ago after the "favorite things" edition of my MOPS group, where each woman shared something she found particularly useful or enjoyable.   One woman mentioned a devotional book that had really spoken to her about being thankful for all of the gifts God gives us.  To be honest, I don't even remember the name of the book, but it was one of the items in the raffle that was held at the end of the session.  While I didn't win the devotional book, I did win a small journal that went along with it.  On the front of the journal is the Bible verse, "Every good gift and perfect gift is from above," James 1:17.  I took it home and didn't think much about it...until later.  That same afternoon, Norah had her worst afternoon to date.  She started screaming at 1:30 p.m., and no matter what I did  (feed, rock, sing, change her diaper, etc.) she WOULD NOT STOP!  This went on for over 4 hours.  By the time Jeremy got home from work I was a wreck.  I had even put earplugs in to try to block out the screaming and keep myself sane.  I had been wanting to get my hair cut for a while, so I told him, "Your turn," and went to the salon to free myself from the chaos.  Needless to say, I wasn't feeling very joyful or optimistic at this point.  As I was waiting at the salon, I picked up a magazine.  I think it was Family Circle, but I don't remember for sure.  It was the January edition, so it was discussing ways to a healthier, happier you in the new year.  One of the tips it mentioned was writing down 3 positive things that happen to you each day.  "Interesting," I thought.  That night, after I got back from Great Clips (which, surprisingly, gave me a very nice hair cut for only $12 as opposed to my usual $60 salon trip- but that's another story), I saw the journal laying on my nightstand and immediately flashed back to the magazine article.  And that's when I made the decision.  I was going to write down 3 positive things that happened to me each day in that journal.

For the past 2 weeks (and hopefully for the rest of the year), this is what I've been doing. It has been a wonderful discipline for me.  Some days I think, "well, there was nothing positive that happened today!"  But, then as I sit and think about it, I realize that many positive things happened.  Sometimes it's just small things, like- Grace didn't throw a fit at nap time.  And sometimes, it's more exciting, like- Norah slept 12 hours last night- or - I got to go on a date with my husband.  Whatever the case, this journal has forced me to focus on the positive things in my day for at least a short while.  Even on the worst of days, I realize that God always gives us something to be thankful for.  He has given me so many wonderful, positive things in my life if I could just take the time to recognize them.  Already this has helped me be a little less glum and a little more joyful.

So, I'm working on seeing the glass half full...or at least seeing those pretty frozen berry ice cubes floating inside.