Suck Out The Poison And SOAR!

Consider your mind.  Our generation is willing to spend thousands of dollars on just educating our minds!  But even after we have spent all that money, attended all those classes, and suffered through all the stress of obtaining an education, how efficiently do we use our minds?  We have this vast database of information, but every day we discredit everything that it processes.  We even lose confidence in our own minds to such an extent that we reduce ourselves to being nothing more than an existence of matter.  Humans are extraordinary; we have the ability to use our minds for the greater good, which is why we call it “Humanity.”  We are souls capable of choosing our future, with minds that will shape that future into a tangible reality.  However, we have chosen to pollute our minds with every-day common smut, creating an environment that inhibits the progress of the mind. In this toxic environment we are losing our humanity.

We live in a world that thrives on negativity.  It bombards us every day; from the moment we wake up, it creeps into our thoughts and our interactions, leaving us little light by which to see the good that surrounds us. Why do we let negativity take control of us in such a way?  Negativity is a powerful thing, but it is also an easy thing.  You see, negativity carries with it no expectations.  If there are no expectations, then we are more easily appeased and we can remain in our state of unchanging complacency.  It is admittedly easier to live without hope and expectations than to see ourselves not reaching our potential and falling short of our dreams.

Negativity is defined as: “thinking about the bad qualities of someone or something: thinking that a bad result will happen: not hopeful or optimistic.”

                                                                           (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I have had my own love/hate affair with negativity. Through coping with the deaths of very close family members to my own experience with severe postpartum depression, I conditioned myself to think the worst in all cases.  You see, if I were to think the worst, then when the worst happened I was not surprised or let down.  I let myself become hardened and unwilling to see the good, and my attitude towards life reflected my thoughts of despair and grief.

I can recall many experiences with a roommate that I had. I will call her Chanelle. Chanelle had the biggest, brightest smile I had ever seen and the giant, positive personality to go with it.  She was a dancer and would wake up at five in the morning to practice ballet in the living room.  Her seemingly perfect exterior and her unfailing smile led a “realist” like me to pursue one goal:  bring her down. I wanted her to learn that the world was an awful place.  Needless to say, at first we did not get along. She simply avoided me while I toiled in my attempts to hurl the woes of the world in her direction. I am happy now to say that I failed in my pursuits, and to this day, she with her unfailing smile, is still one of the loveliest people I have ever met.  She has also become a very successful woman, and I can only attribute this to her positive “can do” attitude. She never let her mind become polluted with the negativity that I was trying to instill in it.

Cynicism, worry, paranoia, anger, self-consciousness, and depression are all byproducts of the continued allowance of negativity in our minds.  As I have already expressed, I am no stranger to these emotions.  It was ultimately depression which left me with the desire to change my thoughts.  My depression left me in such a state that I was a burden on my family and a danger to myself.  I had to change, or I would lose everything I held dear.  It was not easy; depression is a very real disease. It was as if I was at the bottom of a muddy pit, clawing my way to the surface with nothing to hold onto but sheer will of heart, this alone was the only thing keeping me from falling to my death.

It has been a long road getting to where I am, and even now, I have a long way to go. But here is what I learned along the way:

Positivity is much more powerful than its alternative! This is true because there are so many amazing things to accomplish in life!  It is not easy to be positive, because unlike its counterpart, positivity carries extensive expectations. However, these expectations are what will ultimately change us. Positive thinking led Harriet Tubman to free a thousand slaves.  It led Thomas Edison to a successful end in his desire to harness electricity. Mother Teresa received a Nobel Peace Prize through her ability to help others and bring positivity into their lives. Positive thinking is how Elon Musk will eventually colonize Mars. And finally, positive thinking is what will lead all of us to personal success. This habit will cause our minds to soar, and our generation will become the most successful, the most vibrant, and the most loving generation of all time. 

Changing how you think is incredibly difficult, especially if, like me, you have had years of doing the opposite.  My suggestion is to start with your body. Eat well and exercise, because if your body feels sick so will your mind.  After this, find a goal that you want to focus on, something that you sincerely desire to accomplish.  Challenge yourself for 30 days to concentrate on obtaining that goal. Every time negative thoughts come into your mind, you will need to consciously replace them immediately with something worthwhile.  Most importantly, believe that you will obtain your goal! If you don’t believe that it can happen, then there is no sense in working towards it. You must honestly believe that you can obtain your desire!  During this time, it is also important not to speak ill of others.  Make it a priority to be conscious of those around you. EVERYONE is going through something hard, so don’t let yourself be another reason for them to think negatively. Essentially what I am saying is: pay it forward; create good karma.  Everything you give will be returned to you in many ways.  

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”

                                                                                          -Mahatma Gandhi

Further Reading:

1. Harriet Tubman, http://www.biography.com/people/harriet-tubman-9511430

2. Mother Teresa, http://www.biography.com/people/mother-teresa-9504160.

3. Thomas Edison, http://www.thomasedison.com/.

Citations:

4. “Negativity.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negativity.

5. Howell, Elizabeth. “SpaceX's Elon Musk to Reveal Mars Colonization Ideas This Year.” Space. Web 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.space.com/28215-elon-musk-spacex-mars-colony-idea.html>.