First day of the positivity challenge. It has been harder than I expected at times, but I’m also enjoying putting a positive spin on everything more than I thought I would as well.

The most persistent source of negativity in my thoughts I find to be through negative people that I come contact with on a daily basis. I am surprised at how negative my thoughts become around these people — it’s like a contagious disease. The best thing for me to do in the long-term is to eliminate these people from my life so that I can enjoy more positivity and happiness. In the short term though, I am chugging away reframing my interactions with them as positives in my mind. Coming in contact with these people teaches me how to deal with negativity in others, which is something I need to learn. Also, it helps me appreciate others with a more positive mindset.

I’m also surprised by how there really is a positive side to everything if you look for it. For example, I’m running out of paperback editions of my book so I’m having to scramble to get more. In the past I would have stressed out about this, not seeing the ultra-obvious good side to this: I’m selling a lot of books. Even situations that seem completely negative like getting choked out at ju jitsu can be spun into a positive (you learn how to defend against that choke in the future).

I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

-Dan