How to Stay Positive in a Negative World

Imagine a bird flying through the air gracefully and freely. He looks down and sees a beautiful lake. He flies down, lands on the lake, and is drawn to its peacefulness. The bird says, “I’m going to stay here for a while.” The bird stays for so long that it forgets that it can fly. He begins to identify with the lake. I am this water. I am to remain here.

The bird that was once capable of flight actually becomes a creature of the water. When the water is calm, it’s not a big deal. But, the bird becomes afraid when the water becomes choppy because he can’t swim. He is worried he might drown. In turn, when it is calm, he starts to think, “Well, this is nice, but what am I going to do the next time it gets choppy?” The bird wants to control the water. So, even when the water is calm, he starts worrying about all the choppiness that could be coming.

He is ruining the present moment, trying to think of a way to manipulate the water so that it stays calm forever. But he cannot control an entire body of water.

Have you lost your peace because you are struggling to maintain a sense of control over circumstances that you cannot control? Have you forgotten how to fly?

We will always have turmoil in our lives. But we can’t spend our time worrying about the disturbance, we need to fly!

We all have someone in our lives who seems to say things that make us angry, bring us down, or feel bad about ourselves. Many times, it is a family member. And what do you do before you go to visit them? You rehearse the problem. You think about what you will say when they say this and how you will respond when they ask you that.

Don’t waste your time on such negative thinking. Don’t allow another person to steal your joy. Stop rehearsing the problem and start declaring the solution. When things are going good, stop preparing for the worst. It’s time to stop rehearsing and start reciting.

That’s right.

Who are you? Who were you when you were born? Who were you when you were flying? What are your good, strong attributes? You are more than your personality, the circumstances you find yourself in, and more than what others say or think about you.

Take some time and write down all the things you know about yourself when you are flying.

Things like:

I am confident.

I am brave.

I am a conqueror.

I am intelligent.

I am worthy of love.

I don’t need to worry about what others think of me.

I was born to win.

No one can tear me down.

I’m not talking about being haughty or self-righteous. I’m talking about surviving when the water gets rough.

We all get into situations where someone is not treating us with disrespect or unfairly. Rather than worrying about how we can calm the waters, we need to fly by using our list of words that help us take flight. Then we can fly above the noise, above the turbulence, the insults, and the disrespect.

I was recently in a situation where I was bullied. A few years ago, I would have left the situation in tears. But not this time. I have learned how to fly. I left that person’s house saying: I’m okay. I’m confident. I am intelligent. I know how to treat people with respect. I deserve to be treated with respect. The words of that person did not affect my mood or my well-being. I am at peace, and I will remain at peace.

We can’t keep the water calm, but we can control what we think when it is calm and when it is turbulent. You can’t control the wind and the waves, but you can fly away.

We can’t change the people around us, but we can change how we respond to them.