I used to be a very bright and perky person. Nothing could keep me down for long before I shrugged it off and moved on. While I would still consider myself a fairly upbeat person, getting older and having frequent interactions with people as a professional has definitely made it more difficult to be so. As anyone who works in the service industry could tell you, people are inconsiderate and oblivious a lot of the time. Living in an area full of self-important, busy people leads to having countless frustrating encounters which can easily stick with you and bring your day down.
One morning at work the idea of the Positivity Project came to me. I was thinking about a meeting I had with my boss the previous day, which touched on topics of how to motivate people as a manager and how to deal with unhappy customers. My boss recalled a constantly upbeat coworker he once had. When asked how he stayed so upbeat even when serving rude, dismissive and mean people, the coworker replied that you never know what someone is going through. There might actually be a reason why the person is acting the way they are.
Its advice that’s really true, but hard to remember and live by on a daily basis. As a Christian having a fairly secular day to day existance, it becomes so easy to slide into a life where you don’t feel and show God’s love. Christians are supposed to be walking examples of God’s love, and there seem to be so many people these days that call themselves Christians but are filled with hypocrisy and anger.
I want to relearn how to be a positive, less judgmental, more forgiving person - hence the Positivity Project and this blog documenting it. The hope of this blog is twofold. One, that blogging about it will make me more accountable to actively work on being positive on a daily basis. And two, that it might inspire one other person to try to start somethingsimilar in their own lives. I know the idea is not new or revolutionary, and there are already blogs and websites dedicated to similar movements and lifestyles, but this is my journey to being a better, more grateful person.
As anyone who has experienced it knows, small acts of kindness can leave a huge mark. Real, personal conversations with a bank teller, server or cashier can make them actually feel like a person. Recognizing someone who needs help holding a door open, or carrying something and easing their burden can brighten someone’s day. Genuine compliments or unexpected cards in the mail can make people feel special and loved. My goal is to do something positive for someone every day – either for a stranger, friend, or loved one - even if it’s something small.
The world can be a miserable place. This is my attempt to make myself (and it) a bit better.
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