Positive thinking

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.-Philippians 4:8

These past few weeks I have found that people have been drawn to me due to my positive spin on life that I put out into the universe.  I am not sure what triggered the increase in contact from friends and family this week but I have had more than a handful of people private message me or text me telling me how they follow me and love my positive outlook.

The truth of the matter is that I struggle with being positive on a daily basis.  I am not one of those people who hit the floor each morning with a smile on her face and a pep in her step.  I have to MAKE a conscious effort each day and ask myself "what am I going to fuel today?"  
Will I fuel my fear?
Will I fuel my insecurities?
Will I fuel a bad attitude?
Or will I fuel the good things in me that feed my soul and feed the souls of others?

The bible verse above states that "if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  What a wonderful reminder that when we focus on good thoughts than good things will happen.  The mind is like a steering wheel, you just have to tell it which way to steer your life.

I have a thousand reasons I could be bitter in my life.  I had a terrible childhood. I have been homeless and poor.  I have divorced in the past. I have lost people in my life because they betrayed me. I have had people hurt me to the very core of my soul.  I have been passed up for opportunities that should have been mine, I have been forced to eat my pride more times than I can count.  Just like everyone else life has been hard for me.  This could easily allow me to be angry, bitter, not trusting and just in a bad mood all my life.  I know several people who blame situations in their life for the way they live today.  They explain to me because of these occurrences it's the way they are and there is nothing they can do about it.

Bullshit, is the word that comes to my mind.  We all have the power to do just about anything we want when put our minds to it.  We have the ability to tell our minds we are not going to focus on anything negative each day.  We have the ability to put a plan of action in place to help us avoid being negative.  That plan of action will be different for everyone but it all comes from the same thought process.  

I am helping a friend who is struggling in her marriage.  As I listen to her and hear the pain she feels in her marriage I continue to come back to the same feeling and thoughts each time.  She has to make herself happy.  She has to make a decision that she is not going to allow herself to feel negative towards her spouse.  This is a choice that only she can make but I hope with my countless emails, texts and conversations with her I can help her switch her mind around to the way she thinks about her herself, her spouse and their marriage.  I pray with the guidance of my own God He will give me the tools to share with her and together we can save her marriage and most of all save her from herself.

These lessons that I share with her, I also put into my own life and my own marriage.  I am not above anyone and I sure the heck do not have it all figured out, however I know what I want and I know I am the only that is going to be able to get me there.

Positive thinking or the refusal to allow my thoughts to get out of hand come in every area of my life.  I have good and bad days at work but most of the time I am able to put aside anything that upsets me and just tell myself it is not worth it to me to struggle with this.  Or if I come up against someone in my life who is pushing me, taking advantage of me, maybe wronged me in a private way.  I make the decision that this person is not going to get the best of me and I refuse to sink to their level and even acknowledge the chaos they have caused me.  If there is a disagreement with my hubby I will ask myself if this is the hill I am going to die on.  Being aware of myself and aware of how my thoughts work allow me to change the way I think.

When I was diagnosed with MS I went into a dark place for a few days where I was upset that I was sick.  I knew what the doctor told me and what my hubby had learned and shared with me but the bottom line was I was sick and I would have to do these certain daily things to save my life.  That really made me upset.  But after a few days and some good heart to heart talks with my hubby I was able to put that anger aside and tell myself, getting MS was for a reason.  I may not know now what the reason is and what path it may or may not take me down but the bottom line is I have it and I am going to be open to learning what I am to learn from it.  

I guess I share these things into the blogging world because I want those out there who struggle daily with seeing the good in their lives to know.... it's out there.  You can have a handful of bad things happening to you and still be able to sit down and find more good then bad in your life.  You can be struggling with finding your place in this world but if you allow your mind to open and focus on the positive in your life your place will make itself known to you.  If you are struggling in your marriage and you think you are only there because you feel stuck, you can change the way you feel about yourself and towards your spouse and really put in the work to save your marriage. The world is full of gifts for us all, we just have to learn how to accept them.

Here is my challenge for anyone reading this.  

Today think positive all day.  Our thoughts are like a steering wheel that moves our life in the right direction.  If a moment comes up of negativity, don't allow your mind to participate in it. Do no speak ill will of anyone today and if someone is trying to talk negatively about someone to you change the subject. Focus only on good thoughts today and you will put out good vibes to those around you.  Fill your mind with positive thoughts and positive words and maintain a smile on your face all day. 

The ability to change who we are and how we act is up to each of us. We all have the power and the time to do it.

Make is a GREAT day today.

~Mellie