Be Ruthlessly Positive

There are lots of things that can rot your life. Some of them are physical, some of them are circumstantial, but one of the most powerful is the influence of negativity. In our culture, there is often an unintentional and subconscious negativity that seeps into our minds, words, and social lives.

Think about most people’s small talk conversations regarding the weather. The direction of the conversation is tied exactly to how sunny or miserable the conditions are outside. I can do this, too, so I’m not trying to point fingers. But it just shows you how easily we find the negative and bring it into existence. I remember a mentor once telling me that every college student answers the question, “how are you doing?” with either a complaint about the weather or a complaint about being tired. What an interesting trend.

As minor as these trends might appear, they have a giant and potentially devastating effect on our lives. Negativity taints our mindset, our willingness to take action, and our ability to be grateful. Despite what some people may claim about being a realist, it doesn’t end up helping you in the long run to be overly realistic. It makes you lose touch with the most beautiful gifts in front of you. Gifts like bad weather, strong friendships, and accomplishing personal goals. So how do we focus on them?

It’s not enough to get rid of only the bad. As any life coach or counselor will tell you, we need to replace a bad habit with something else. In this case, the equal and opposite reaction of negativity is…you guessed it…positivity! If you train your brain to look for the positive, you’ll stop trying to willpower your way out of negativity, because you’ll be focused on the new habit. If you are ruthlessly focused on the positive, you will have an abundance of energy that leads you to do anything. You will be more grateful, focused and energetic. Obstacles will be more like stepping over a rock than tripping and spraining your ankle.

Do everything you can to be ruthlessly positive. That might seem like a strange word to use, but I think it applies. To be ruthless is to not show pity, like a savage warrior in a battle. But in this case, we are in a battle. To battle negativity, you need to ruthlessly eliminate it. It’s not enough to just cut out some of it, you need to tear it all down and replace it with the most positive, purposeful perspective you can. Think of Paul’s urge to the Philippians:

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you will shine like stars in the universe,” (2:14-15)

What is one source of negativity you currently have in your life, and what is something positive you could replace it with? Start with one, and keep rolling. Do your best to be ruthlessly positive, even to a fault. You will be all the better for it, because if you do, you will not only stand out: You will shine like stars in the universe.