The Power of the Positive Three

Sometimes I'm just grumpy. 

And sometimes actual things happen to make me all "frowns-down," but other times... I'm just in a funk. 

Yesterday morning was one of those mornings. I was just a grump. It was Monday (point one), it was raining, traffic was awful due to the rain, and work is slow enough right now to where I didn't have the "productivity adrenaline" pumping. I just wanted to crawl back in bed with my coffee in my jammies and read a book. ..which obviously couldn't happen and I wasn't happy about it.  

Somewhere amidst the stop and the go on my commute, I knew I had to get out of my funk. My negative attitude wasn't going to miraculously make my day become more positive. It would likely have the opposite effect. And quite frankly, my friends, family, and coworkers didn't deserve a grumpy Katy on a Monday morning. 

So, I decided to implement the positive three. I've done this for quite some time now, starting back in college. Whenever I'm not happy - whether by an actual event or just because - I force myself to stop and think of three positive things in my life. 

At first it's pretty hard. It's hard to scowl and think happy thoughts. And on those days where you just want to wallow in your 'woe is me'....it can also be quite annoying. 

But it's necessary. It forces you to change your perspective, to stop focusing on all the things that may not be going your way, and focusing on things that are. 

View Grumpy as a little monster. If you keep feeding the monster (and he feeds on negative thoughts), Grumpy is just going to grow, get stronger, and stick around for a while. On the other hand, if you stop feeding the monster negativity, and start feeding him happy thoughts (the antidote), he's going to go away. Or at least take a chill pill.

Some days are harder than others, and some real life events might require a positive five, seven, or even ten before you start to feel better. But at least you're shifting your focus. You're making an effort. It just may take a dollop of time along with those sprinkles of positivity before you make noticeable strides. 

This must be a common theme for May as one of the other blogs I read just talked about this topic, too. She went as far as to document her three on a daily basis in a gratitude journal. ....for thirteen years. I respect a good documentation, but I just don't have space to keep numerous journals. Same message here, though :) 

So next time you're feeling low, because you woke up like that or because life happened, just stop and shift your focus. Give a good mood a chance. It's simple, and may seem silly, but don't underestimate the power of the positive three.

Happy Tuesday!

Until next time,
Katy