The Power of Positivity

WORDS. We forget how powerful they are sometimes – the words we say to others AND the words we say to ourselves. Words have the power to build someone up and tear someone down. They have the power to make someone’s day, or ruin it. Personally, the words and thoughts you feed your own self affect your attitude. It’s so easy to be negative, isn’t it? And something that I learned throughout my college years is the fact that negativity spreads. FAST. That’s why positivity is important, and positivity is POWERFUL.

Positivity radiates. But so does negativity, and that’s why it’s so important to be mindful of what you say and think. If you’re having a bad day at work, it’s so easy to go to your coworker and complain about everything going wrong. If your team is in a bit of a slump, it’s easy to sit in a circle and gossip about who just hasn’t been playing up to par. If you’re not where you want to be in life, it’s easy to wake up every morning and be negative from the start. Whether the negative energy is held within or expressed outwardly, it’ll still spread to others whether you mean for it to or not.

But just as negativity spreads, so does positivity. Imagine how much different your day would be if every person you encountered had an uplifting and encouraging manner about them. It’s powerful! One thing I love is a good compliment. Giving a compliment will make someone’s day, and it makes you feel good at the same time! The way I see it is that you can’t be too kind. Like someone’s outfit? Tell them. I mean why not? Compliments can go a long way, and you never know when an encouraging word might be just what someone needed to hear.

A close friend of mine told me that every morning she wakes up and prays that the Lord will send her positive thoughts throughout the day. I think this is important. The devil knows just how to sneak into our brain and take advantage of our thoughts to bring about fear, stress, anxiety, and negativity in general. Asking God to protect you from this and keep your mind on track throughout the day could be a game changer.

In closing, you are in control of your attitude. The more positivity you feed yourself, the happier of a person you will be and the more goodness you will spread. Positivity is powerful, and we all know how much encouragement and love this world needs right now. Here’s my challenge. Today:

1. Give a compliment both to someone you know well and to a stranger.
2. Make a conscious effort to control the thoughts in your head and the words you say to others – how’s your attitude? Are you building people up, or bringing them down (whether it’s intentional or not)?

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

-LC