The Positive Side of Everything

Is it really possible that if we change our perspective we can see the positive side of everything? 

The Distracted tripped over it ...
The violent, the use to hurt ...
Entrepreneur, use it to build ...
David, I use to kill Goliath .. 
Miguel Angel, to build large sculptures
Ultimately, the difference was not in rock, but in how the person used it

I must confess that I myself struggle to see the positive side in everything. I do intentionally try to change the angle from which I look at a particular negative situation and see the learning I can get from it. Unfortunately, many times I end up seeing the stone as a stone, and not the stone in its potential state as a sculpture or a building block for something bigger. What can I do about it?

The main problem here is not that we are not able to see things from a more positive perspective. Rather, the main challenge is that we need to cultivate the type of mindset to do so. This type of mindset allows us to grow, even from the negative things that happen in our lives. How do we cultivate and nurture this mindset?

We build the positive mindset by transcending from our current situation to a state in which we believe that whatever is happening now will make sense. To put it in another way, if we mentally place ourselves in a future moment in which what is happening right now helps us, then we might be able to understand today’s situation as valuable to accomplish tomorrow’s expectations.

Now, it is true that thinking and believing in that future creates a lot of anxiety. Particularly, the anxiety is multiplied when we try to understand our present negative situations by framing them into what we want to become and achieve in the future. Actually, Zen Buddhism proclaims otherwise. Zen Buddhists say that in order to leave our anxiety and stress aside and become really happy, we have to live in the moment. Forgetting what happened in the past, and without concerns for what is going to happen in the future.

Zen Buddhism practice is fantastic and I am firm believer in mindfulness. I practice mindfulness myself to reconnect with my mind and my body, and silence the external world to only listen to what I have to say to myself. However, since we live in a world that more often than not is seemingly disappointing, I still think that we need to intentionally and actively seek the ways to see the positive in the disappointments, and the happiness in the negative.

For instance, if somebody has a despotic or difficult boss it becomes very difficult to think about a future state in which the current reality is valuable. Let’s be honest, you’d rather quit that job than see the positive side in it. But, if quitting is not a reasonable alternative, is there anything else you can do about it? Is there any way that you can see the positive side in the situation? More importantly, can you still find peace and happiness amid the stress and toxicity of that environment?

I would say yes. And it all probably boils down to actively deciding between our short-term needs, and building our long-term potential. You can yell and curse if you want to. But, is that going to bring us sustainable happiness or only momentary satisfaction? Is that going to build our professional careers or only vent our frustration in the moment? Is yelling going to bring us any closer to our potential or leap us far back?

If we only think in the short-term, then yelling is the way to go. However, if we are trying to make ourselves better, every day, and continually step up to another level in our potential, then we better keep in mind the long term. Ultimately, seeing the positive side then becomes a matter of differentiating between short-term negative situations, versus long term sustainable happiness. And that is the essence of the positive mindset I'm talking about. 

I know it is a challenge to see the positive side in everything. It is for me. But I’m aware that I can't surrender to the dark side of a situation and dwell in its negativism. I usually think about what happens when we are in a sustained situation that is not getting any better? Can we still see the positive side day after day? What if we exhaust the source of positivism that comes from those negative experiences? Is it possible that we achieve a state of flow when there is a toxic environment around us?

I can’t really say for everyone. But I’m pretty sure that it is possible to find happiness and flow by seeing the positive.

I want to finish with this Randy Pausch’s quote. He died in 2008 of pancreatic cancer. He didn’t want to die, but there was nothing he could do. And Randy decided to live his final days by sending a message of love and inspiration to all. In his “Last Lecture”, Randy said “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people”.

We just need to believe and have faith our potential! Let’s see the stones in our life as the building blocks for a happy future, rather than obstacles on the way.

Follow me on Twitter: @erubio_p
Visit my blog: www.innovationdev.org

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About the Author: Enrique Rubio is an Electronic Engineer and a Fulbright scholar with an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. Enrique is passionate about leadership, business and social entrepreneurship, curiosity, creativity and innovation. He is a blogger and podcaster, and also a competitive ultrarunner. Visit the blog: Innovation for Development and Podcast. Click here to follow Enrique on Twitter. 

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