Seeing the Positive

It can be a lot easier to recognize and put emphasis on the problems and complications in our lives, as opposed to the positives and happy coincidences. It’s harder to recognize when you’re actually not having a problem that you used to have. 

A few weeks ago, I dropped a massive weight on my right ring finger, and it caused a really painful and abnormal-looking bruise to appear. I was really worried because it didn’t look like a typical wound and it hurt quite a bit. But eventually it faded. It was a gradual process (as most healing is) so there was no big relief moment- no “aha! Everything’s okay!” or anything like that. 

I don’t tend to think about it these days because you don’t notice the absence of a bruise; you just notice it when it’s there. But approaching these kinds of situations with a mindset of valuation and being grateful that you don’t have to deal with whatever was ailing you can be a really positive experience. Maybe you had a huge deadline looming over you a few days ago, but now it’s come and gone, and you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Take a moment to enjoy that you’re free, and can go about your day without having to deal with it. Of course, new problems will always spring up, but old ones are over and done with, at least. 

In a similar vein, it can be easy to discredit your own accomplishments and forget how far you’ve come. Even taking a small step towards a larger goal is something in and of itself. Celebrating your own accomplishments, and those of people close to you, can help motivate you to continue. Taking the time to recognize even small achievements is a great way to build a more positive, appreciative mindset in general.

There are a lot of little things in life that we take for granted and are actually pretty amazing when you think about it. I have a little umbrella that pops completely out with the press of a button, which is such a miniscule thing, but I still think it’s really neat and convenient that it was engineered to be that way! 

You can find faults in anything, but you can find beauty in everything.