Positivity: The Inconsequential is Important
Coffee. Conversation. Tea. Meditation. Sleep. Holding the door for a stranger.
Every one of these is equal in its power to generate positivity. Every one of these can elevate your mood and improve a given day.
The seemingly inconsequential is easy to disregard, especially in the face of impersonal matters like terrorism, poverty and corruption; or more personal matters like jobs, bills to be paid, not feeling able to find enough time for loved ones and fun. What does the pleasure derived from a cup of coffee matter in the grand scheme of things?
In truth, it means everything. The Big Picture is usually pretty overwhelming. Yet we place almost all of our attention there as a society, because we believe that if we don’t, we will be left behind or shut out or contribute to the problems further or worse. The needs of the greater good, impersonal or personal, we have been told should outweigh our own needs.
However, when we take this approach, we disempower ourselves. If we have nothing for ourselves, how can we possibly give to anyone else? Yet many people come to feel selfish if we take that break or enjoy that small thing or do anything else strictly for ourselves.
We have to do things to feel good for ourselves. If we don’t we have no fuel to provide anything of use to anyone else. Without having our own things to feel good about, we become depressed, we get sick, we become withdrawn and worse.
Coffee. Conversation. Tea. Meditation. Sleep. Holding the door for a stranger. Do these feel good to you? Do these generate positivity for you and allow you to be totally in the now and aware? What other seemingly inconsequential things happen throughout your day that can build up your positive energies?
The inconsequential is not unimportant. It is a tool to build bigger and better for ourselves. I know that might not always feel true, but believe me when I tell you that we all need to treat ourselves better. We need to love ourselves more than we do, because when we love ourselves we empower ourselves. When we are empowered, in especial by our own will, we not only have something for ourselves, but we have energy to share with others. It’s not selfish to build up our own positivity, because without it we cannot be selfless and sustained at the same time.
What seemingly inconsequential things make you feel good?
Finding positivity is not hard, but it does require action. Knowing that things we do regularly but consider to be inconsequential are important to our mental health, we can derive more positivity from them. When we make use of these things to build up our positivity, ultimately we can help other people more, because we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings in the collective consciousness. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.
This is the one hundred sixty-seventh 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.
In relation to Positivity, check out my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.
