Positivity in the Face of “Reality”

Is it possible to find positivity in reality, given current world affairs? Yes.

Let’s face it. There is very little good news about the world right now.

Australia is burning, and it’s pretty scary. President Trump is threatening to commit war crimes and has illegally assassinated a foreign leader. Climate Change is not being addressed as the threat that it should be. The ultra-wealthy are getting richer at the expense of pretty much everyone else.

I could go on, but I think this is all pretty damned depressing enough, don’t you? So in the face of all of this “reality” happening, can there be positivity?

Yes.

How? Because this is the big-picture stuff. Yes, it is important to be aware of it and do what you can about it (for example, donate to help fight the fires in Australia; vote in elections; attend protests, call and email leaders, etc). But you cannot allow it to override your immediate existence.

reality Is that selfish? Yes and no. In that it is a matter of self-care, I guess it might be a little selfish. But you have one life, one opportunity to exist on this planet. Wherever you are, in the here-and-now, those big-picture matters are most probably abstract and way, far outside your control.

What you are thinking, how and what you are feeling, and all the actions you do and do not take, though, belong to you and only you. Mindfulness. And mindfulness allows you to find and/or create some positivity in your corner of reality, right here and right now.

How and why does that matter? Because that reality, your corner of it in the here-and-now, is the most real reality there is.

Your reality is your perception of it

If you get focused on all that bad news out there, the so-called “reality” of the world at large, then positivity is going to be a challenge. That may be an understatement.

I can see that it may look like there’s no hope. How, in the face of this insanity, can you even consider positivity? Because that’s the best way to counter the madness.

Reality is an illusion. Einstein told us this:

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

The reason is simple. Because every single person on this planet, all 7 billion-plus of us, perceives reality uniquely. So how I perceive the world and reality is not how you perceive it.

No, you can’t just deny the existence of negative things in the big-picture world “reality.” But you do not need to give them 100% of your attention, either.

Why? Answer me this – what can you do about any of it? Is there a single thing that you can do, right now, this very instant, to change those pictures?

Unless you are one the people who can directly impact these matters, there’s nothing really impactful you can currently do.

But the corner of reality that you occupy, right now, as you read this, is yours. You can choose to be depressed and hopeless inside of it…or you can choose to find comforting things and hopefulness inside of it.

It is not an act of selfishness to make the most of your personal, present reality. Every bit of positivity attracts more positivity. Rather than getting sucked into the ever-widening gorge of negativity in the world, build ladders out of it and bridges across it with positivity.

Mindfulness is the key

This will likely require you to take a leap of faith. But you have the power to change the conversation. It is possible for you to take control of your personal immediate reality. That control over your own reality can impact the greater reality of the world at large.

reality All that is inside your control is your mindfulness. Your awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and actions are the only real things you can control. Does that seem insignificant? Well, it’s not.

You can choose to let all of this negativity dictate your life…or to take a different path. The present moment, as you read this right now, is your reality. Real, true, reality…more so than news of world happenings. So you can use that to choose how you will see and approach your day today.

Your mindfulness and awareness of yourself can help you to find and create positivity, even in the face of crazy, scary, depressing world affairs. Even in the face of the abstract “reality” of the wider world.

Change your immediate reality for the better, and that can be a means to change the big picture reality for the better, too. You are empowered thusly.

Finding and/or creating positivity isn’t hard, but it does require action

Knowing that you have the power to find and/or create positivity in the face of the often-overwhelming big picture “reality,” you get to choose to do so – or not. When you work on positivity in your immediate reality, which is the truest reality in which you exist, that ultimately empowers you. When you feel empowered, your mindfulness increases, you become more aware overall, and that tends to spread to other people around you.

As such, you can build more positive feelings and discover more reasons to feel positivity and gratitude. That can be the impetus to improve many aspects of your life for the better, generating even more gratitude.

Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness leads to love. Love is the ultimate positive attitude. An attitude of gratitude is an attitude of positivity that begets even more good energies – and that, like you, is always worthwhile.

This is the three-hundred-ninth entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

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