Are You a Positive Person?
Many people don't give a lot of thought to how much they focus on positive versus negative emotions.
However, the way you balance these emotions has a tremendous impact on your life and those around you.
Studies have shown that the average person is exposed to more positive emotions than negative emotions.
The problem is we pay more attention to negative emotions (e.
g frustration over the amount of traffic) and tend to overlook positive emotions (e.
g a quick hug from your child).
The way you balance your positive and negative emotions affects your relationships with your spouse, children, friends, co-workers, and just about everyone else you come into contact with.
How Balanced Are You? Dr.
Barbara Fredrickson is one of the leading experts in the study of positive psychology.
She's even developed a mathematical formula to determine a person's positivity ratio (a measure of your positive compared to negative emotions).
Based on Dr.
Fredrickson's work, the secret to enjoying a happy and positive life is countering each negative emotion with thoughts of 3 positive events or emotions.
This method is so simple, yet so powerful that it works for relationships, child raising, and even to create a strong, successful business environment.
How Would You React To Some Spilled Milk? Your son knocks over his glass of milk and it spilled all over the kitchen floor.
You know he already feels bad (negative emotion #1), but how do you respond? Do you add to the negativity count by pointing out the he should have been more careful (negative #2), complain that you need to clean the floor again (negative #3) and ask why he can't just sit still like his sister (negative #4)? Once the negativity ball starts rolling, it can be hard to stop.
You just keep going down that negative spiral and drag everyone around you down it too.
Instead, you can look at your son and say, "It's alright, it was only milk (positive #1).
I know it was an accident (positive #2).
I'm just glad the milk didn't ruin that beautiful picture you were coloring for me (positive #3).
How easy was that? Instead of a day of fighting, bickering and bad moods, you can enjoy a fun day together creating even more positive memories.
The same method can work in a meeting.
Sometimes there's that one person who criticizes every idea and makes you feel like the meeting is a complete waste of time.
You can turn that meeting around and create an open, engaging discussions.
Ask open-ended questions and find out what Mr.
Negativity thinks would be a good plan of action.
Explore other people's ideas for improvement.
Let the group know that the focus of the discussion is going to be brainstorming for solutions, not dwelling on past problems.
How Do You Increase Your Positivity? It's really not that hard to create a more positive environment for yourself.
The first big step is to stop hyper-focusing on every negative thought and feeling in your past.
Decide to just let it go and move forward! The second important step is to stop imagining and predicting bad things in the future.
Once those two stumbling blocks are out of your way, you are free to start focusing on all of the wonderful, positive things in your life.
This doesn't mean you will be magically transport to a new world where death, illness, and hardship don't exist.
Negative events actually play an important role in helping us to appreciate the good things in life.
The trick is finding the proper balance in life.
Smiling, laughing, and taking a deep breath are great ways to get started.
Self-care has also been found to be a powerful tool, so take a walk, try a yoga class, enjoy a long hot shower, or explore a new hobby.
Expand your joy to others by performing acts of kindness, focusing on who or what you are grateful for, or helping out with a local charity.
When you focus on creating more positive events in your life, you open up your mind and spirit to all kinds of new and wonderful experiences.
You might even find that you can't believe how you used to get so upset over silly, unimportant things like a little spilled milk.
However, the way you balance these emotions has a tremendous impact on your life and those around you.
Studies have shown that the average person is exposed to more positive emotions than negative emotions.
The problem is we pay more attention to negative emotions (e.
g frustration over the amount of traffic) and tend to overlook positive emotions (e.
g a quick hug from your child).
The way you balance your positive and negative emotions affects your relationships with your spouse, children, friends, co-workers, and just about everyone else you come into contact with.
How Balanced Are You? Dr.
Barbara Fredrickson is one of the leading experts in the study of positive psychology.
She's even developed a mathematical formula to determine a person's positivity ratio (a measure of your positive compared to negative emotions).
Based on Dr.
Fredrickson's work, the secret to enjoying a happy and positive life is countering each negative emotion with thoughts of 3 positive events or emotions.
This method is so simple, yet so powerful that it works for relationships, child raising, and even to create a strong, successful business environment.
How Would You React To Some Spilled Milk? Your son knocks over his glass of milk and it spilled all over the kitchen floor.
You know he already feels bad (negative emotion #1), but how do you respond? Do you add to the negativity count by pointing out the he should have been more careful (negative #2), complain that you need to clean the floor again (negative #3) and ask why he can't just sit still like his sister (negative #4)? Once the negativity ball starts rolling, it can be hard to stop.
You just keep going down that negative spiral and drag everyone around you down it too.
Instead, you can look at your son and say, "It's alright, it was only milk (positive #1).
I know it was an accident (positive #2).
I'm just glad the milk didn't ruin that beautiful picture you were coloring for me (positive #3).
How easy was that? Instead of a day of fighting, bickering and bad moods, you can enjoy a fun day together creating even more positive memories.
The same method can work in a meeting.
Sometimes there's that one person who criticizes every idea and makes you feel like the meeting is a complete waste of time.
You can turn that meeting around and create an open, engaging discussions.
Ask open-ended questions and find out what Mr.
Negativity thinks would be a good plan of action.
Explore other people's ideas for improvement.
Let the group know that the focus of the discussion is going to be brainstorming for solutions, not dwelling on past problems.
How Do You Increase Your Positivity? It's really not that hard to create a more positive environment for yourself.
The first big step is to stop hyper-focusing on every negative thought and feeling in your past.
Decide to just let it go and move forward! The second important step is to stop imagining and predicting bad things in the future.
Once those two stumbling blocks are out of your way, you are free to start focusing on all of the wonderful, positive things in your life.
This doesn't mean you will be magically transport to a new world where death, illness, and hardship don't exist.
Negative events actually play an important role in helping us to appreciate the good things in life.
The trick is finding the proper balance in life.
Smiling, laughing, and taking a deep breath are great ways to get started.
Self-care has also been found to be a powerful tool, so take a walk, try a yoga class, enjoy a long hot shower, or explore a new hobby.
Expand your joy to others by performing acts of kindness, focusing on who or what you are grateful for, or helping out with a local charity.
When you focus on creating more positive events in your life, you open up your mind and spirit to all kinds of new and wonderful experiences.
You might even find that you can't believe how you used to get so upset over silly, unimportant things like a little spilled milk.
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