Turn a Negative into a Positive

Can we have a moment of silence for my fallen headphones? I jumped on the treadmill; my headphones got snagged and snapped.

For the next half hour I wallowed. Ugh, I spent $40 for those. Now I have to go and get a new pair. My entire workout was ruined.

I made a conscious decision to let it ruin my workout. I allowed broken headphones to affect me. I chose to perceive the situation as wholly negative and submersed myself in turmoil.

After wallowing, I remembered some advice Steven gave me: Don’t sweat the little things. They are insignificant in the big picture. 

Don’t let it ruin your happiness

Today, a friend complained that she was having the worst day ever because she missed her bus.

She caught the next bus and made it to school. Was it really worth letting her entire day get ruined? It made me think about my fallen headphones.

Was I really going to let $40 and the errand of getting new ones ruin the entirety of my day? Steven is right, in the big picture, it is very insignificant.

In the big picture, she caught the next bus. She made it. She’s here now. She should leave that ill feeling in the past. Instead, she carried it with her like a ball and chain, weighing her down, slowly draining her happiness.

People let insignificant problems ruin their minutes, hours, and days. The first little problem surfaces, the effect snowballs, then suddenly you’re lost in the ‘worst day ever’ syndrome.

As you progressively become grouchier, it could snowball to the next day. You make the conscious decision to grumble and scowl. People around you notice and avoid you.

Your relationships are affected. Your work is affected. But worst of all, your mind is affected. Happiness begins to feel like a distant memory – all over headphones, a missed bus or whatever other small problem is weighing you.

Is there a Bright-side?

I believe that every situation has a positive and a negative. Some positives are harder to see in the darkness of a problem, but it is there. It’s a tiny glimmering light, just waiting to be discovered.

My broken headphones did impact my day, but for the positive. I chose to be more social. I was able to listen to people and engage with them.

I made a friend. I helped someone in need. I gave a compliment to random stranger. Three positive outcomes over a problem that could have been day-ruining.

If I had seen the negatives and scowled, could I have made a new friend or helped someone? Could I have made someones’ day through my words? Possibly, but I wouldn’t receive the same effect. It would have been cast away and overshadowed by my miserable mindset.

In our daily lives, small problems continually erupt. Sometimes we let our brain take over, and we make large out of the miniscule.

The odd time when we do encounter a large problem, it’s okay to feel down for a little while. It’s therapeutic but after that, pull yourself out and start figuring out a solution. Start looking for that little glimmering light.

Next time you encounter a problem, place it in the bigger picture. Change your perspective to change the way you perceive problems.

You possess the sole authority. You are the general, captain and private of your mind. Consciously choose happiness, consciously choose positivity and constantly seek that little glimmering light.

Be bold, be free, and love on.