Monday, December 7, 2009

Are you Positive?


"For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else” Winston Churchill









Someone asked me today, "why and how are you always so happy?" I responded, "oh that's simple... I refuse to be anything else." I'm one of the few people I know that very rarely gets upset. Of course I have my moments but most of the time it's a multitude of complied bullshit that sends me completely over the edge. Thinking back though, I can remember a time when I was a complete HOT head. Some would say I had a bad temper even... I wanted to solve every problem with my fists. Over the years though I learned that no one or thing should have that much control over my thoughts emotions and actions and thus "positivity" was birthed. 


Since this wonderful transformation (lol *smiley face*) I've been called passive and asked what happened to the "passionate Tasha." My response is always the same... if erratic behavior equates to passion about a particular thing or subject, you can have it. I remember my boss saying to me "does anything bother you?" When I told her "no" and kept working she stood there dumbfounded. I guess being over the top is expected of us as people... ionno I'm really not sure. 


So how do I remain positive you ask? Well I'll share my little secret with you. It's really a simple concept but it takes discipline to do it. Sure we all hear the age old question are you a glass half empty or a glass half full person. Most of us always answer with a resounding "glass half full." Are you really practicing that behavior though? Most often... not. Whenever I am confronted with a negative thought I now (audibly might I add) say "positivity." I've been in public and had something crazy pop into my mind and yelled "positivity." Folks probably thought I was crazy but for the sake of my OWN well being... I just didn't give a damn. It's important not to take a glass half empty approach to life. When things seem to be bad look deep into that situation for the positive things. Sure gas is high…but thank God you have a job to pay for it. Ok you hate your job…I can name a few people who would love to trade places with you. In changing your “outlook” also remember to “look up.” Often times we look to those around us for help but we fail to look up. The message is simple and doesn’t need a lot of elaborate explanation: When you feel like your life is looking grim…look around, smile, and look up.



If you're going through hell... keep going.






P.S.
10 reasons why you should become more positive
  1. You will create a better world around you as your surroundings will become affected and change due to your positive thoughts and actions.
  1. You will make better first impressions. Everyone stereotypes, whether they want or not. A positive first impression can mean a lot in many situations and have a lasting effect throughout your relationship with that person.
  1. You will focus on the good things in people. Not their faults. This will make things much better overall and improve all kinds of relationships.
  1. It´s easier to become more productive when you stop laying obstacles in the middle of the road in the form of negative thoughts.
  1. Work becomes more fun. Everything becomes more fun.
  1. You become more attractive. People like positive people. Positive people make other people feel good about themselves and they don´t drag the mood down. Also, a positive attitude is an indicator – and source – of high self-confidence, a quality that just about everyone is attracted to.
  1. Being negative has very little concrete advantages and is not a very empowering way to look at life.
  1. It opens up your mind to focus on other ways of looking at things. Sometimes wonderful new ways you might not ever have thought about or experienced before.
  1. It puts the Law of Attraction to better use. The Law of Attraction basically says: whatever you think about you attract into your life. As you replace the negative thoughts with positive thoughts you will start to attract more positive opportunities and people into your life.
  1. You´ll waste less time. Negativity can be like a self-feeding loop. First you think one negative thought. It leads you to three more. And then you start examining your life in deeper detail through a depressing lens. When you get into a vicious cycles like this it can eat up hours, weeks and years of your life. It can drain a lot of your energy whilst trapping you in paralysis by analysis. And you probably won´t become that much wiser in the process. 








Saturday, December 5, 2009

"Divorced Not Dead"


It's about time I put the rumors to rest and speak on this issue. If you know me you know how incredibly private I can be about my personal life...on the other hand if you know me you know I can also be an open book of sorts. I've always said that if my life experiences can help someone else then I'm all for sharing them. With that being said...

I'm DIVORCED not DEAD!

It is AMAZING the questions people ask me about my divorce, dating, living, etc. True no one marries to divorce... that's like buying a car to crash it into a brick wall. However, there's something to be said for a man or woman that can marry, divorce, and MOVE ON with life. For some reason people expect divorced people to mourn over a dead relationship the same way they would
mourn over a dead body/person. I disagree. Yes, you may need time to heal after a marriage dissolves but those that have been in the position I am in also know that if you are divorced or divorcing your relationship was terminally ill for a while and it died a slow painful death. After experiencing something like that... why WOULDN'T you want to move on?

I recently had a conversation with a guy I reconnected with from college. Do you know this dude had the nerve to say, "I'd love to take you out but I'm afraid you'll start crying." I couldn't help but laugh but it was the most absurd thing I'd ever heard in all my 27 years on this earth. (If you're reading this... laugh with me, lol) Divorced does not automatically equate to overly emotional dried up and bitter. If anything my having been married before is the experience that's needed to make things work a second time around. Most jobs require experience right? To ME I know the mistakes NOT to make if marriage happens for me again.

Yes, I can date. No, I wont break down and cry when I do it. Yes, I'm divorced. No, I'm not going to spontaneously combust if you approach me. I don't have the plague people...

I read a very true quote today and I'm going to adopt it as my own..."I got married, I had kids, I got a divorce...and now I'm pursuing life on MY terms" (I use MY loosely cause what God says for me to do... I do...now.) Divorce can easily feel like a LONG drawn out death and just like an actual death, you must not only go through the grief cycle (bargaining, denial, anger, depression, acceptance) - one must ALSO begin to rebuild. That's exactly what I'm doing. I've accepted my divorce I've also accepted I am NOT damaged goods. I know my worth and I refuse to be defined my silly stigmas like divorce = personal demise. I'm just fine people... in fact I'm still standing.

Monica said it best...whatever don't kill ya makes ya stronger...well I must be the worlds strongest woman.



Still Standing...You can bet your last that my head won't hit the floor... never.

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About Me

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A self professed “Grace Case,” Elle is a 29 year old accomplished writer. Having written and been featured in national magazines such as Essence, her unique writing style has been said to be “thought provoking” and “more emotional than most.” She believes in being an open book and through that prays that her life experiences help others avoid the mistakes she’s made and overcome. As such, her memoir “Loving Me In Spite of Me” is filled with life lessons and coping mechanisms. Her mantra “love me or hate me… I’m me unapologetically” has helped define her writing style.