The Ripple Revolution (tm)

Posts tagged positive

Sometimes the path to positive leads through the Land of Suck

January 30, 2014 Written by Curt Rosengren

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I’m not a big fan of a “positive at all costs” mindset.

Yes, a positive perspective is enormously important. And yes, it’s in your best interest to resist getting pulled into the downard spiral of negative thinking. There’s a lot we can do to create our experience of the world just by how we look at it.

But taken to the extreme, it’s a great recipe for sliding down the slippery slope of repression and denial. And what happens then? What you’re trying to stuff down doesn’t go away. The pressure builds, and at some point, in some way (probably a way you won’t like), it will come out.

Here’s the reality. Life is messy. You can steer your experience of it in a positive direction, but the odds are slim that you’re going to be able to have it be sunshine and daisies 24/7.

Sometimes the best path back to a positive perspective is to simply let it suck. Experience it. Accept it. Let it be what it is, rather than what you think it oughta be.

That’s not to say you should feed the suckiness. If you find yourself on the hamster wheel, telling that story of woe in your brain over and over, that’s a good sign that you’re prolonging the suck artificially.

Sometimes, if I find myself grappling with feeling particularly frustrated or down and nothing I do seems to shift it, I just create space for it. “Screw it. I’m just going to be here today.” I stop trying to get myself out of it and simply give it permission to exist.

Accepting and allowing, without making it wrong or trying to change it (or adding fuel to it), can sometimes be the best and most compassionate path to a more positive space.

Tricky, this life business, isn’t it?

–

Join the Ripple Revolution TM

Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM

Overcoming obstacles

What world are you creating in your brain?

May 10, 2013 Written by Curt Rosengren

Take a minute to think about the kind of media you consume. News, books, movies, magazines, etc. Now imagine creating a pie chart of that media, splitting it between the kind of media that reinforces a positive world view and the kind that reinforces a negative world view. How much of that pie would each variety occupy?

What you feed your brain has a huge impact on how you see the world. It creates and reinforces the lens you look through that colors your perception. The bigger the slice of the pie the positive occupies, the more likely you are to see the world that way. The same goes for the negative.

With that in mind, what kind of lens is the media you consume creating?

What’s on my brain food menu?

I was looking at the feed recently for my Ripple Revolution Facebook page, where posts from the various Facebook pages I had “liked” were showing up. It felt a little like a spa for my brain. The only pages I like are ones that have a positive, posibilitarian kind of focus. As a result, the posts that show up paint a pretty inspiring picture of the world.

If I were to make a pie chart of my own media consumption, probably 80% – 90% of it would be occupied by the positive. That includes books I read, movies and documentaries I watch, news I read (like the Impact section of Huffington Post), the Facebook pages I follow and the articles they lead me to, etc.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no news saint. I get sucked into the reading about the latest tragedy or scandal, just like everyone else. But I minimize the time I spend there, and maximize the time I spend with what feeds a positive perspective. I make a conscious effort to maximize the positive/negative ratio of what I feed my brain.

So it’s probably no great surprise that I see the world as a generally positive place. Does it suck at times? Yeah, of course. Is there violence and tragedy? Yup. Are there things I would change, both in my own life and the world around me? That’s a resounding yes!

But I also see a world filled with incredible acts of kindness. A world filled with so much love and compassion it makes me want to pop. It unfolds every day, in every corner of the world. I see people committing to make a difference, in ways both big and small. I see innovation and creativity, birthing new possibilities that never existed before.

Track the Nourishment/Toxicity Ratio of your brain’s diet

I can’t stress enough how important being conscious of what you feed your brain is. I’m not suggesting that you, for example, eliminate your consumption of the news altogether (though I encourage you to experiment with doing a 30-day news fast to see what happens).

But at least get conscious about what you’re opening up your head and pouring in (do you really want a daily dose of toxic goo?). Build an awareness of the ratio of media that nourishes a positive perspective vs. media that poisons your outlook (like toxic goo for your brain).

Try this: For the next week, track your media consumption. Jot down the time you spend reading, watching TV, going to movies, reading news on the internet, etc. Rate each item on your list as N (nourishing), T (toxic), or NT (neutral). At the end of the week, go back through your list. What percentage of your media consumption falls in each?

The next week, make it a goal to improve your Nourishment/Toxicity Ratio of your media consumption. How can you add more of the positive? What can you eliminate?

The world you see isn’t the world as it is. It is the world as it appears through your own personal lens. You can’t help looking at it through some kind of lens. That’s part of the human experience. But if you’re going to be using a lens, doesn’t it make sense to consciously create one that is as positive and empowering as possible?

–

Join the Ripple Revolution TM

Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM

Time for a career change? Start with The Occupational Adventure Guide 

Energize your life
, ,

Be judgmental (then shift your focus): 30-Day Experiment

January 15, 2013 Written by Curt Rosengren

[This is one of a series of 30-Day Experiments to do this year instead of New Year’s resolutions.]

Have you ever tried to stop being judgmental? Just quit, cold turkey?

I’ve tried, but those judgments keep jumping into my brain, wholly unbidden and unwelcome. “That person is too _______. This person isn’t ______ enough. Oh my, what an unfortunate haircut.” And on and on it goes.

I don’t think I’m alone in that. Nor, to be fair, do I think I am more judgmental than the average bear. It seems to be a very human characteristic. But it is out of alignment with who I want to be and how I want to relate to others. And it’s something I would love to change.

If you can relate, this one is for you.

Your 30-Day Experiment: Use your judgments as a springboard to the positive

The experiment has two simple steps.

Step one: Notice your judgments

As always, the starting point is awareness. Start paying attention to the judgments as they arise. If you’re already tuned in to them, go straight to the next step. But if they are such a habitual part of your mental landscape that you don’t even notice them, try spending a week just noticing first. Bring a sense of light curiosity to it.

Don’t make yourself wrong for having the judgments. Don’t condemn them. Don’t even try to eliminate or replace them. Just use them as a prompt to focus on the positive (step two).

Step two: Shift your perspective

Every time you notice a judgment about something, look at it as a flashing neon sign letting you know it’s time to explore shifting your focus. It’s an opportunity to practice again (and again, and again) noticing what’s positive.

Here are some questions to get the juices flowing.

  • What do I appreciate about this person?
  • What do I admire about this person?
  • What can I notice about this person that is positive? How many positive things can I notice about this person?
  • What is positive about this person’s _______ (sense of style, personality, beliefs, appearance, etc.)
  • What has this person done that is positive?
  • What positive characteristics does this person have?
  • Is there a positive way to look at this thing I’m judging?
  • Who sees this person in a positive light? Why?
  • What is positive about this person’s story?
  • What can I imagine this person’s story to be? (This one is for someone you don’t know anything about.)
  • How would Love look at this person? What would Love see?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice using judgments as a positive focus prompt.

If you decide to take this 30-Day Experiment on, keep us posted here on how it goes!

–

Join the Ripple Revolution TM

Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM

Time for a career change? Start with The Occupational Adventure Guide

Change, Personal development
,