Positivity

It all started with a statement "What's good my friends?"

From there I got an in depth lesson on the way we have all been trained to think. I guess naively I thought that I would provoke wonderful thoughts of positivity on how great this day was. Instead, what I got was numerous examples of negativity going on in this world. What the hell?

I started to try and think why it is that so many of us get caught in this cycle of negativity and cynicism. What is it about our society that seems to breed this attitude? The more I am reading about the Science of Yoga and the philosophy behind it the more I realize that we have all been trained to look outside our selves for our happiness. We make a criteria for happiness... "Once I do.... I will be so happy" or "If I could only.... I would be happy". Even simple statements meant in good spirit can hold us back from our potential to find true contentment. How about the very common statement, "You complete me". To this I ask, "aren't I complete to begin with?". I guess some would place the blame on the consumerism in this country, others maybe on religious beliefs, original sin and what not. Regardless the cause, at what point do we each individually say enough is enough and make the conscious effort to begin to lead with positivity, no matter how painful initially?

Having been a negative person for much of my life, always under the guise of plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when I am wrong, I am seeing now clearer than ever how much damage that kind of attitude has played on my health, my relationships and my professional life. Being aware of this and making the effort to change my thought process has yielded me so much contentment. I no longer strive to supplement my life with material things as a path to happiness instead looking towards being completely in the moment and enjoying experiences with those that matter to me. I find myself compelled to share my revelations and knowledge with others and have become acutely aware of how few people actually go about their day mindfully focusing on leading with positivity.

So what to do, how to share? Yoga. While I know I can not change anyone who has not first made the decision themselves to change, I know that I hold the power to plant that seed of happiness, to water that seed with my support, friendship and love. I find peace in that. So I challenge you, my readers (whomever you all are), find something today to be happy about, to find gratitude in the smallest and simplest of things. Breathe a few deep breaths into that positive thought. Make a mental picture of the feeling that your gratitude and happiness brings and see if you can hold onto that and refer back to that all day.

"We have to bear in mind that we are all debtors to the world, and that the world does not owe us anything. It is a great privilege for all of us to be allowed to do anything for the world" Swami Vivekananda (on Karma Yoga)