You know, with all the quote memes flooding the internet, it’s no wonder that some people are getting a bit fed up being constantly confronted with messages about choice, keeping a positive mental attitude and deciding to be happy.

I think we’re missing the point a little bit… and that’s easy to do when all we’re seeing is a little square box with positive words and images in it.

It really isn’t about being happy all the time. I’m not sure that’s even possible. It’s really about recognising that we each have the ability to change our emotional state, to alter our mood….IF we choose to. We can choose not to sit in the unhappiness, choose not to fester in the frustration, choose not to amplify the anger, just as we can choose not to stay in a place of positivity, self belief and joy.

We can. We can ALWAYS change. Even if it’s only fleeting. We can move, we can sing, we can chant, we can shout, we can listen to a piece of music that evokes a particular state in us, we can call a friend, we can bake a cake, we can get outdoors, we can talk to a tree, we can meditate, we can paint, we can draw, we can jump in puddles… there’s no end to the options we have to help bring about a change of mood IF we want to.

And that’s the killer. It’s the wanting to.

Not everybody *wants* to be in a happier, more positive place… and they’ll probably be the people getting really irritated by all these overly simplified positive memes. If people actively want to stay unhappy, we must recognise that’s their choice, just as they must recognise that the rest of us are doing our best to pull ourselves up, say ‘yes’ to life and do whatever it takes to stay positive and build a brighter future for ourselves and for the world.

…and that’s why all these positivity quotes are flooding the internet… it’s because so many people are trying to stay upbeat and reminding themselves – and the world at large – that life doesn’t have to be so bad.

Those good moods we find, those moments of happiness, are sometimes only fleeting, so we keep on striving to find more and more until, eventually, all those positive vibes start to join up and create longer periods of happiness, and we begin to train our minds and bodies to create positivity as a default setting. And when we need a reminder, sometimes, just sometimes, those positive quotes really do make a difference.

So… go ahead and share if you like. And if you don’t like? Don’t share. Simples. To quote Tolly Burkan, let it be easy.

Taz
X