The Big Picture Can Be a Trap
This post contains affiliate banner links. For more info, see my disclosures.
The distraction of big picture matters takes away from how the little things can be hugely positive.
It is all too easy to neglect the little things in this world that make you feel positive. Especially when so many bigger picture issues will totally produce the opposite effect.
Every day you are bombarded by fear, lack, and scarcity across social media, the news, and even among friends and family. Whenever someone posts about concerns for a coming lousy week, or issues with other people, or another really Monday Monday, it feeds the beast of negativity.
These tend to be big-picture matters. It is a major trap to get caught up in big-picture matters. Why? because, for the most part, you have little to no direct influence nor control over them.
This is why the little things are so huge.
What do I mean by the little things? Moments of positivity, like when someone holds the door for you; being thanked for something; someone letting you merge into the lane on the road; the purr of a cat or the wag of a dog’s tail; receiving a compliment; and so on.
These seemingly minute everyday occurrences can carry far more weight and power than you may realize. While you may encounter a single, seemingly insurmountable big-picture issue, you will likely encounter many little positive things in your day.
Quantity of positive things is quality. Or rather, it can be, when you recognize it for that potential to improve your mood, your thoughts, feelings, actions, and overall life experiences.
This may seem like a somewhat Pollyanna approach, but you have to ask yourself, how would you prefer to feel today? This is something frequently neglected which can impact your entire life experience.
The Big Picture changes
It is understandable that you might want to be in the know about the goings on in the world around you, happenings in the lives of friends and family, and other matters that, at least sideways, will impact YOUR life. However, if you fall into the trap of allowing those things to make you feel negative, replacing negativity with positivity can be challenging.
So how do you work with the little things to build up positivity? Mindfulness.
Being aware of what you are thinking, how and what you are feeling, and being conscious of the impact that has on your emotions and actions opens you to influence and better control them. You have so much more power than you may realize. In those many little things that happen every day, you can draw positivity to yourself.
The big picture will change from day to day rather drastically. Ever notice how much less negativity you encounter from friends and family on the weekend? Sure, world news and events are ongoing, but giving it all of your focus and attention will exhaust you mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and more.
Giving your attention to the little things and daily occurrences that generate positivity, even for only a moment, can have a cumulative effect. The higher quantity of little positive things can build up into greater overall positivity. When you feel more positive, and become mindful of this, you can make a lot of improvements in any given day, and your overall life experience.
Give it a try. Focus your attention on those little moments that occur all day, and see how numerous small kindnesses and empathy can be empowering. What have you got to lose but the expectation of a less-than-desirable day and/or experience?
Positivity can be found in little actions received and given all day
Finding positivity isn’t hard, but it does require action.
Knowing that the big picture tends to skew negatively, but you will encounter little things of positivity all day, you can give them more attention. When you shift your focus to those little things and see how both giving and receiving them makes you feel better, this ultimately empowers you. When you feel empowered, your mindfulness increases and you become more aware overall and tend to spread that to others around you.
As such, you can build more positive feelings and discover more things to feel positivity and gratitude for.
Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness 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 two-hundred and eighty-first 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.
Please take a moment to sign up for my new-and-improved newsletter. Fill in the info and click the submit button below and receive a free eBook.
Follow me here!
