Positivity and the Benefits of Thinking in Terms of It
"So... do you think I should go on doing it?"
It was a really simple question that was posed.
And after some time, I felt I had a really simple answer to give back.
Now, ignore for a moment what the question pertained to. Yes certainly I could go into whole background of it, but that won't give any context at all to what I'm talking about (which is about positivity - my theory of it I suppose). The seeker wanted my view on whether I think she should go on in her current state, with her attendant hang-ups about the state of affairs, as well as the benefits of what she was getting out of it.
My view was simple: If whatever you're doing gives you a sense of positivity, then continue doing it.
So what's a sense of positivity?
It really depends on what you're getting out of it. If you're getting money out of what you're doing, and you're profiting (even with some investment put in), then your positivity comes out of the profit that you're making.
If you're emotionally satisfied by the relationship you're in, and your emotional reward from being with a partner outweighs the drain of living together with him or her, then your positivity comes from knowing that you're getting more out of it than what you're putting in.
My own positivity story? Well, I switched jobs and industries some one and a half years back for less pay and more fun. I wanted more fun. I didn't mind less pay. And I felt a great relief that more fun made a more positive contribution towards my well-being than more money could have done.
So there: it's really simple. Forget all those self-help stories and books out there. Just ask yourself, when you're in doubt about any current state of being (or perhaps considering a change in status quo), whether you're in a state of positivity.
And if not, then find something else that will bring you there. Or something else that will deliver higher positive benefits for you (i.e. a higher state of positivity)
Really.
The easiest philosophy you'll ever live by.
