Accepting Positivity And Happiness As Separate Entities
While scrolling Instagram a few days ago, I ran across the meme posted above, and it really hit home for me. “Staying positive doesn’t mean that you have to be happy all the time“. Well, that’s a relief. If being positive meant always being happy, then I’ve failed so miserably that there’s really no reason to ever try again.
The word positive is so often misused that people tend to think that the words “positive” and “happy” are one and the same.
Positive is defined as: a good, affirmative, or constructive quality or attribute.
Whereas happy is defined as: feeling and showing pleasure or contentment.
So by definition, although one can influence or be the result of the other, the two do not have to coexist.
There are people who are capable of being happy about negative things. And on the other hand, there are also people who are able to maintain a positive mindset, even though they are not happy.
Humans Have Bad Days– And You’re Very Human
I’ve had plenty of bad days where it seemed that everything went terribly wrong. Even though I’d try to keep a positive attitude through it all, the bottom line is that I’m human, and at some point I’d have to call it a day (a day that was either a total waste or a total disaster). This is usually the part where friends and loved ones enter to remind me to keep a positive attitude, as if I never thought of that. Really, they only say that because they feel that they should say something; they just don’t know what.
It’s okay to have a bad day. It’s even okay to become upset sometimes. Every 24 hours, we get a chance to hit “reset“. No, our problems and situations most likely will not go away overnight, but as long as we continue to wake up, we have an opportunity to make it right, learn from yesterday, feel better, and perhaps, help someone else. Knowing that we have the power to make changes is what positivity is, and it can lead to happiness and peace.
Things Will Work Out, They Always Do
My mother used to say “Things will work out; they always do“, and that is very true, if we are doing the work, making wise decisions, and not repeating the the same mistakes and expecting different results (insanity). Those acts alone require a positive attitude. You would not make those changes or do the work if you do not believe that things will work out in your favor.
Keeping a positive attitude, even on bad days, can ensure happier tomorrows; however, there is really no reason to force the two to coexist all of the time–that’s not realistic. Both attributes are strong enough to survive independently.
