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Natural Awakenings Atlanta

POSITIVE Words Create Positive Lives

by Lucretia Robison

It is the beginning of 2018. Curious about what my social media friends have been doing for the holidays, I see an endless stream of memes being shared for encouragement. Good intention is abundant, but many of the words I see are negative.

I understand we are gearing up to follow our New Year’s resolutions, and evaluating what doesn’t serve us anymore. The memes speak of weight loss, cutting out bad food, detoxing and decluttering environments, ending dysfunctional relationships, taking out the trash.

My concern lies in the ratio of negative statements to positive ones.

“Cutting someone completely off from your life is sometimes necessary for your peace. Don’t feel guilty about it,” one meme reads. What positive word was used? “Peace.”

Peace is high on my values list. I’m glad people are looking for peace. The world needs more peace seekers and peacemakers. Let’s have more memes about peace.

That’s the only positive word. What are the negative words used? “Cutting.” “Completely” amplifies “cutting.”

“Sometimes” sounds lacking in conviction. Are you going to toss out the trash or not? “Necessary.” Is anything necessary?

“Don’t.” Energy knows only positive. Energy responds to the “do” in “do not.” Whenever the word “don’t” is uttered, energy shifts into whatever it is one is fighting against.

“Guilty.” It sounds like a gavel. The sound is heavy. It feels like lead at a time movement would help. Those are the low-vibration words of that one statement shared for the masses.

Will it help? Negative things do have powerful effect. One person’s decision done with conviction can affect the whole world. So if leaving people behind and not feeling guilty about it helps you, that’s powerful.

I’ve left family and friends behind. I’ve moved 30-something times. My life has been full of lessons, and I’ve learned that doing something new and positive is the only sure way to increase, broaden and build the life I want. When I feel stuck, it’s time to move the energy around me.

I leave off what doesn’t serve me, and I embrace what does. I look for light. I move, breathe and stretch. I do what feels natural, as long as it serves me.

Look at the language in the paragraph above. “Leave” is the only negative word, meaning I am losing something. Embrace, light, move, breathe, stretch, do, serves: 7:1 positive to negative. One could argue to leave is also positive, because one is doing something. Doing is action; action is positive.

You are eliminating something, but for it to have positive effect, something must replace the lack. The universe abhors a vacuum. What will replace what one leaves off? Whatever you have your focus on, most likely.

That’s why moving, breathing, stretching and doing are important. Action is important for keeping your thoughts in the positive, and exploring values and what you want in life.

According to Positivity, the book by Barbara Fredrickson Ph.D, who has made it her life’s work to study the effects of positivity, the ratio of positive thoughts to negative thoughts should be 3:1 in order to broaden and build one’s life.

Sometimes I have to fight what feels natural in order to do what serves me. Sometimes the long-ago recorded programming kicks in, and I have to self-actualize and make myself a better human.

While a meme can be an inspiration, it can also miss the target. Perhaps before sharing a meme, people can evaluate their value to broaden and build.

Asking questions about how each word serves and making sure the positivity ratio is 3:1 or higher can actually help you and your audience build a life of increase, according to the science of positivity.

My life began changing when I adopted the mantra “letting go of all that doesn’t serve me.” I got rid of relationships and things that didn’t serve me. More things that didn’t serve me began to fill the empty spaces. I was in a cycle of struggle.

My life began expanding when I added the positive mantra “claim what serves me.”

On the first day of 2018, I cleaned my home. I removed clutter. I organized. I took out the trash. I parted with more that doesn’t serve me. I claimed the space it left behind. I made something beautiful. My home feels good.

How can we take a meme that says “Cutting someone completely off from your life is sometimes necessary for your peace. Don’t feel guilty about it” and raise the frequency to create a better life?

Let’s go positive. The questions become: Do you want to remain as you are? What do you want to do? Once you let go of what isn’t serving you, what will serve you? What do you want?

Your answers to these questions can help design a positive statement that may become your 2018 mantra for building and broadening your life.

 

For more information visit PositivityRatio.com.

Lucretia Robison is a licensed massage therapist, Emory University-trained health coach and blogger. If you have a personal story of awakening that you’d like to share in Walking Each Other Home, please contact Lucretia@ naAtlanta.com. This column was originally published on KneadingChange.com.

Image: Forest Foxy/Shutterstock.com

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