One of the reasons we find it difficult to be positive is how we focus on ourselves. Many people focus on the things that are going wrong in their own lives and forget to look around them and see what is going on in the lives of others around them.
Many of the major world religions focus on good works as a means to attaining reward and there is some excellent value in this approach to life. When we focus on ourselves, we tend to magnify the problem in our mind and introspection can lead to negative thinking. When we compare our “bad experiences” with someone else’s experiences, we often find ourselves realizing that maybe our situation is not so bad after all.
We probably meet people every day with needs greater than our own without even realizing it. The mother sitting next to us on the bus pushing a young child in a stroller, who is struggling with the stresses of parenting young children; the elderly man who sits on a porch silently watching passersby and wishing some of them would come and talk to him. The friend we have lunch with at work who gossips about things that a colleague from the office is doing or not doing.
Investing time in other people and their needs will change our perspectives on things happening in our own world. We can share our parenting experiences with the young mother an pay it forward the guidance we might have received when it was our time raising young children. Why not share a cup of tea or coffee with the elderly gentleman and be thankful for the family we have, when we realize he no longer has family. We can deal with the negative effects gossip has by gently helping gossiping friends understand the negative effect gossiping us on our lives.
As we become the stone that ripples its influence into other’s lives, we find things to like about our world and ourselves. When we hide ourselves in our homes and allow our negative thinking, to rob us of experiences, we miss the rewards.
Take time out today to look around you and really see what other people are experiencing. You may be surprised the difference it makes to your day.