This is Day 12 of the 21-Day Positivity Challenge held in March 2012, where we work on being positive for 21 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
21DPC Day 12 Question
Today’s positivity question is:
What Does It Mean To Be a Positive Person?
…and…
How Can You Be More Positive?
Your Task:
- Reflect and answer today’s question(s). Write as few or as many words as needed to fully express yourself.
- Start applying what you wrote on being more positive, starting from today. It could be to smile more, to think about something good out of every encounter (something you’ve already been doing since the start of 21DPC), to give a genuine compliment to everyone you encounter, to give every friend you see a hug, to stop complaining, and more.
- Identify at least one positive thing about your day. It may be something small or something big – as long as you deem it as something positive, it counts. If you have more than 1 thing to share, then by all means, go for it!
Share Your Answers!
After you are done, share your answers in the comments area.
If you’re doing this at the start of the day, you can post your answer for today’s question first, then work on your positivity task throughout the day, then return at the end of the day to share your results for your positivity task and your end-of-day positive reflection.
Check out other participants’ answers. Pick 1-2 participants’ answers and make a meaningful reply to them. Engage in the discussions. This is a group course, so let’s support each other in these 21 days!
(Images: Happy girl in the field, Girl smiling)
What Does It Mean To Be a Positive Person? How Can You Be More Positive?
– See a bright side of every situation, every issue, every day, every person I meet, everything!
– Be nice, kind and gentle to other people, encourage them and leave them in better state than I first met them. :angel:
– Be grateful for all the blessings I have on a daily basis, both small and big.
– Be conscious and present, be grounded. Use fully my own potential here and now.
– Set big, hairy, audacious goals for myself and act on them. :dance:
– Have faith in the future, in people around me. Believe in myself.
– Be courageous, be lovable, be virtuous, be a good human being.
– Consciously analyse my own thoughts and do not let the negative ones make an impact on my own well-being and behaviour.
– Smile a lot, in a sincere and generous way, to both myself and others. :D
– Contemplate beauty on a daily basis.
– Celebrate success and .. failure. Treat life as a BIG adventure, a great opportunity to learn and grow. Experiment and discover. Be open to new goodness.
– Be willing to accept what life gives me.
– Accept life as it goes; do not make war with life, my own environment. Be peaceful and if the context (company, relationship, neighbourhood, country, etc.) does not suit me, leave it for something better.
– LOVE. Life. Myself. Other people. :heart:
– Pray.
Majorily, I’m a positive person with no effort required on my part. I’m also a morning person so I usually wake up happy and energetic.
However, I’m a very intense person, and life does get me down. I tend to obsess about what I should have/shouldn’t have done in various situations.
I’m trying to live in the here and now, to lighten up and be kind, and to put a smile on my face in conversation. To be a good role model for my 19 year old daughter.
Its all about the golden rule … do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
My positive was crafting the day away with my niece and a wonderful friend … fun and great conversation!
To be a positive person is to see the good potential out of any situation and to not focus on something that is out of your control that results in negative feelings like anger, frustration, sadness, etc. When you are around a positive person, you feel so much more at ease and their positivity spreads to you and you realize that you can be so negative and make everyone around so unhappy at times.
I can be more positive by not being so overly critical of everything that bothers me because I just feed that little monster inside me of never letting something be enough. I forget to enjoy what I have in the present because I’m constantly thinking that it could have been better or this is not the way I want things. Being more positive would require me to stop that tendency of thinking that the world revolves around me. So what if that person cut me off in traffic? Not a big deal, I’m still driving safely to my destination and that person is probably running late for something important. That’s when your life becomes a much more positive energy rather than always thinking the world is against you,
And for me… i would need to let really focused on the present, on what I can control, rather than let my feelings & emotions spiral downwards because of something that I can’t be in control of. I drive often on the road. And today, I will remember what you say about person cutting me off ahead in the lane… “Not a big deal. I’m still driving safely to my destination and that person is probably running late for something important.”
What does it mean to be a positive person? How can I be more positive?
:dance: a +ve person is one who is able to maintain a to-do attitude in the midst of difficulties & challenges; who is able to thank everyday for being 6-ft above ground; who is able to walk in faith, knowing that everything will turn out okay; who believers that there is a lesson to be learnt in every person, situation and place; who wears a smile, gives off positive vibe, makes others smile; who does not sweat the small stuff; and, is filled with energy, passion and life.
:angel: I can be more positive by (1) learning to see good in every situation, silver lining in every cloud (2) avoiding negative people, toxic folks & energy vampires (3) treating each challenge, problem and difficulty as a test in life and finding joy in tackling them proactively (4) setting small, achievable goals (5) doing something kind (6) understanding and knowing that there is no fate but what i make.
:p Starting today (now), I want to (1) stop complaining & gossiping (2) focus on the good (in person, in life & in situation) (3) be thankful for sun & God (4) give a genuine compliment, word(s) of encouragement, and constructive criticisms (5) stay away from the negative people at work & in my social life.
:clap: The one positive thing about my day is being able to do something for my colleague(s) at work and being the one who tell them the good news about performance bonus that the company is giving out.
I really like your plan on how to become a more positive person! I’m going to add on my reminders notes if you don’t mind :)
I think that someone who is positive generally tries to focus on the good, not the bad, the solutuions, not the problem, and they try to make the best of whatever life hands them. They don’t intentionally spread gloom & fear. They don’t feel threatened when other people have good news to share. They don’t feel the need to rain on other people’s parades.
Well, at the present time, the best thing I can do is to stay away from the negative people – but that is just where I am at today. Expect the best, as opposed to expecting bad things. Making a point of looking forward to things, even if I don’t know what those things are.
I got to watch a really good movie yesterday :)
When I think of a postive person, I think of someone motivated, hopeful, and full of smiles. They tend to inspire others and spread there postivity everywhere!!!
Somethings I am going to do to that a postive person would do are smiling, and encouraging/believing in others. In my mind If I believe in someone then I will later believe in myself and be more hopeful!!!
A couple postive things about today is I am not plagued with any sickness at the moment, and I have a wonderful support system around me!!!!!
What does it mean to be a positive person? How can I be more positive?
In every person and every situation is something good. It probably doesn’t seem that way all the time, but I think that is what makes a person positive. A person who can wear a genuine smile and be happy, even when things in life aren’t going the way they hoped. A person who just has a good attitude no matter the situation. That doesn’t mean a positive person isn’t allowed to feel sad or angry or upset. I think they just handle things differently then “negative” people. Negativity is very toxic. Positivity is exactly the opposite. It’s contagious, just like negativity. But it impacts people in a healthy, happier way.
I actually used to be a very negative person. But as I got older, I became aware of it, and how it affected me: school, work, relationships. I couldn’t do it anymore. I wanted so much more in life. I just did some soul searching, wrote down what I wanted out of life, and started to work hard towards those things. My attitude towards life completely changed! I love life so much and I am embrace it all! Now I am happily married (10 years ago I would have said NO WAY would I be happily married someday), I have the greatest friends, a wonderful job and I’m very happy with my life. I think a lot of my happiness is just from me wanting to BE happy (Not in the sense that I am settling, but more that no matter my situation, I CHOSE to be happy). I’m optimistic about things, and I stay try positive in even the worst situations. Now, I have people turn to me asking what I do to stay so positive.
I have my negative moments though too. Sometimes being overwhelmed at work or home can really get me down. I really need to pay attention to these moments. The more aware I am of a potentially negative situation, the better I can handle myself and my state of mind.
I think that just genuinely being a nice person can really help a person to be positive too. I feel like if you are putting that positive energy into the universe, the universe is going to return it to you. I know it makes me a better person, and a happier person.
One positive thing about my day: The weather is just amazing right now! I went for a walk over my lunch hour and just enjoyed the sunshine and smell of spring! I couldn’t be happier!
One has to be enthusiastic and always face problems with an aim of finding a solution to them
To me, a positive person is someone who always sees the good in everyone and everything. They are able to see past the negative/ difficult situation to the sunshine on the other side. A positive person radiates happiness and glows from within.
I do consider myself to be a positive person. However, there is always more I can do to be positive all the time:
1) Stop complaining – for the most part, I try not to complain out loud anymore, but that doesn’t mean the thought isn’t running rampant in my head.
2) Stop worrying about the future
3) Continue to smile every day :D
My positive thing for today: A nice, warm bath after a long day.
A Positive Person is a person who only see the bright side of a picture.
Positivity is a state of mind.
You just have to adopt it in your thoughts.
Then, it will lead to positive words of mouth and positive deeds.
Less complaining, more seeing the good in things :)
A friend of mine told me about a Non-Complaining Challenge where you go as long as you can without complaining (not even in your head). I can barely make it past Day 1!!
But I keep trying to catch myself from thinking negative. Then turn it into a joke or something :D
Positive yday: wrote most of my report. Only need to do the stats today, write the results and hopefully hand it in!
What Does It Mean To Be a Positive Person? How Can You Be More Positive?
– I think it means that you focus on the good things in most situations and people, and don’t let misfortune get you down too much. I can do a lot of things to be more positive:
1) Don’t be so critical of myself and others.
2) When something crappy happens, take a few deep breaths and try to think of anything good in the situation and/or how it’s not as bad as I’m making it out to be.
3) When I’m having fun, just enjoy it rather than worrying about what I “should” be doing.
4) Going along with what i said yesterday – don’t worry about things I can’t change. For example, the thoughts/acions of others.
Start applying what you wrote on being more positive.
– I have been trying and will continue to do so.
Identify at least one positive thing about your day.
– Nick and I had a great time at the Bodies exhibit at the Luxor, and the Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay! We saw so many amazing specimens and animals. :)
A positive person ….
– is grateful for the blessings that are
– has intent to keep on in a positive direction, regardless of circumstance
– has confidence that builds up from small, personal successes
– follows a path of clearly defined values
– is happy!
I am a positive person, and I have these qualities! I just need to remember what’s important every time I wake up. That’s all!
Positive event of the day:
my sweetie came back from a long weekend away!
Positive people don’t spend their time finding fault with others, their life or themselves. They appreciate the little things. A positive person makes others feel good about pursuing their interests and dreams. A positive person has a kind word for everyone, and they really mean it. It doesn’t mean they like everyone 100%, it just means that they see that person’s potential to do good in the world. A positive person is honest with themselves about their feelings, but doesn’t dwell on emotions and thoughts that hold them back or prevent them from living a fulfilling, joyful life.
I used to think positive people were too idealistic, but being positive doesn’t have to mean living in denial. It’s important to acknowledge the things you feel and think and admit your mistakes. But, you can use these experiences constructively and not allow them to limit you.
I try to do these things every day, and some days it is harder than others. I am grateful for the Positivity Challenge because it gives me an opportunity every day to focus on reframing my thought patterns. One exercise I have been trying to do regularly is to identify one positive thing about people I notice or interact with. Even if it’s something incredibly small, it really has helped me to stop dwelling on other people’s flaws.
One positive thing about today: In all honesty it hasn’t been the smoothest or most productive day. But, I did accomplish a few important things and got to relax.
A positive person is someone who is happy, smiling, sees the glass as full, well liked, pursued…
I am actively working on smiling more, being upbeat, caring and engaging.
Postive for the day – getting my life organized:)
A positive person is someone who doesn’t let life get him/her down. You pick up and keep going.
I can be more positive by focusing on the positive things in my life and by surrounding myself with positive influences.
I tried to smile at work today (hard to do in light of my situation). I spoke to a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while (she’s very positive!). I also gave her a hug for being her.
My Daily Positivity:
Ingenuity – my pet rats figured out how to open their cage from the inside. We found them on top of the cage this morning.
Small, little, nice things that people do for you. Makes your day easy!
POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
The ocean welcomed me and my workout in her playful, emerald-turquoise-y, warm watery arms!
I have the most fun being active and exercise-y!!! :D :heart: :heart: :heart: :D
And there for awhile I felt like Forrest Gump when he started running and he couldn’t stop!!! :lol:
THAT’s how much I was swimming without a glich, just lapping away the water with my easy but strong strokes! :clap: :D :D :D :D :D
For me being positive means to look at the bright side of life, see things with eyes wide open, have faith that despite the challenges and hardships life is still a great adventure. It is having bad days too, like everybody, feeling sad but being able to see the light that shines through the clouds.
For me to be more positive, I should stop complaining so much about my job and start to live more in the present. I tend to spend more time in the future and I don’t think it helps. Now is what matters.
Positive things for today:
One of my best friend opened a blog and it’s nice to follow her life this way, as we live far away from each other
I received a great email with many good advice will help me dealing with issues I have with my work
I ate healthy today (no junk food) and it feels good.
A POSITIVE PERSON
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME/
HOW CAN I BE MORE POSITIVE?
Basically, being positive is an attitude, an approach. It is being upbeat, looking on the cheery side of a person, place, thing, or situation. What is the most meaningful, the most excellent, the most enriching, heart-warming, fulfilling attitude/approach I can take? Seeking Higher Ground, from the perspective of how I view things from my Highest Self. Do my best to live those spiritual ideals and higher values. To remember who, truly, I AM, and express that in my thoughts, words, actions.
Seeking to commune with genuinely upbeat people, who share having those loving, compassionate thoughts that bring together like souls, to connect and commune and share deep thoughts and feelings and ideas and ways to implement a brighter future for the greater Whole. Also to share in having FUN, laughter, and smiles. (increases endorphin flow :D )
Analogy: I focus on my goal of BEING at my ideal body weight, strong and toned, physically active….and just as I am eliminating fat from my body, doing things that assist in that fat being eliminated from my body, so too am I eliminating draining energies from my life. Excess fat stores toxins…eliminate the fat, eliminate the toxins. That is, the toxic energy of the people who are energy vampires, or places, things, situations, that are draining, cluttering, excessive, burdensome. I send you away with blessings is my thought and intent, but bye bye is also my thought and intent.
It took me a long time to arrive at this point of discernment and honoring my intuition, and making clear, enlightened decisions. :clap: I have progressed to the point of knowing when it’s time to exit a situation or know when “Enough’s enough,” and not participate in that messy, toxic thinking/activity. I have tolerated far too much in the past before pulling the plug, but even there I have the benefit of the hindsight of seeing how come it took all that to LEARN what I needed to learn. And to take responsibility in my part. And to not go down THAT road again!
I would rather participate in this Challenge, or read other uplifting material, exercise, write, meditate, go on an adventure, have healthy relationships/visits with people who are more supportive, more on the same page when it comes to quality of life, making healthy decisions, leading more loving lives, having visions for a better life, a better world.
When confronted with what looks like something that is tough to look at or deal with…I have learned to look for/find solutions to this at first perplexing matter, and focus on, be in the solution, implementing the solution…and looking beyond the matter at hand to see the deeper message/teaching available to me when I look beyond the “problem.”
Am I moving in the right direction?
Do I need to consider an alternative, and approach what is needed in another way?
Do I need to just let go, and move on in an entirely different way?
I really do believe that “All things work to the good,” and it’s all about hanging in there with the faith, do what I can, until things shift, and realizing when I can help make that shift happen, and when it’s time to be patient and tolerant and accepting (ofttimes without understanding), and let it go to Something Greater that is in charge of the greater and better outcome.
However it occurs…
Shift happens. (not the word without the “f,” which also happens, but this is a better view for me! :D )
:heart:
I think that positive person dreams big, and reaches towards fulfillment of those dreams, positive person is disciplined but spontaneous at the same time , spreads positive energy to self and to everyone she meets, she is ready to learn and to experience, for positive person glass is always half full and she sees seed of growth in every problem…positive person is much much more but mostly person who lives in this moment and tries to get most of it…
I had another great day…I am really on the roll…and this is week three of actively pursuing my goals and every day is a positive one there are many many great moments and positive achievements both big and small…I wish if every single one could be brave enough to reach for their dreams and feel this fulfilled and great every single day…
What does it mean to be a positive person? How can I be more positive
I don’t think that being positive means never feeling a little down. That’s normal and expecting yourself to be happy all the time may lead to you denying real emotions that you need to acknowledge. I think that being a positive person means that the time you spend feeling negative is minimized though.
It’s okay to be disappointed if things did not work out the way you hoped. It’s okay to be upset if you feel you have been treated poorly by others. Being positive means that you do not dwell on those things and you move forward with you life with renewed optimism. Maybe you do that by completely dropping certain things or people from your life, making a new life decision, or looking at your problems as opportunities for you.
To me being positive means having the ability to bring yourself back up after you have been feeling down.
I think I can be more positive by looking inside myself when I feel irritated. I can ask myself why I feel this way. I can ask myself what I can do to change my feelings. Do I just need to change my attitude or do I need to change the situation? I can make a list of all my “problems” and think about how they can be opportunities for me.
Something positive that happened to me today was I felt real gratitude for my physical health. I thought about how some people have very serious illnesses and physical disabilities. I am truly blessed that I have never had to personally deal with those things.
This is a difficult question because I think it’s impossible to be positive all the time in every situation. You can’t deny that you have negative feelings, but you can acknowledge them and this in itself is a ‘positive’ thing to do, in that you are giving an outlet to your emotions, and saying that it’s OK to feel any one of our human emotions. It is not wrong to feel bad about something, however, it might be wrong to feel bad for the majority of the time and to not fully experience life because you are living under a black cloud of unhappiness and gloom.
So, in light of this, I think a positive person looks at difficult situations with a ‘can-do’ attitude, and is willing to learn from experiences and to change things for the better, not dwelling on things that have ‘gone wrong’, but using the experience to grow and develop as a person. A positive person feels comfortable enough in themselves to take criticism from others in a mature way, whereas a negative person would get defensive and angry. A positive person doesn’t need to put other people down to feel better about their self. A positive person doesn’t moan and groan for the sake of it, they take action on the things that bother them, and if it’s not worth bothering with, they don’t complain about it! A positive person can appreciate the little pleasures in life, they look around with open eyes and can see the beauty of the world. They spread their joy to other people with compliments and compassion for others. They are generous with what they have and give to others. They look after their self and others too.
I can be more positive by being more ‘present’ – not taking little things for granted and fully appreciating what I have. I can appreciate the work I have done rather than the pile of work I haven’t done. I can think about what I have achieved rather than what I haven’t achieved. I can pay myself compliments and make myself feel good about things rather than thinking about the things I’m not happy with or didn’t do well at today. I can surround myself with people that I love and who are positive people so that we all encourage good feelings in each other. I can let go of inhibitions, worries, and bad past memories. I can be thankful for today and imagine a bright future filled with joy.
Positive things for today: I reflected on positivity, I’m one day closer to my Easter holiday, I cooked a new recipe, I heard from some friends.
To me, being positive is when people leave your presence, they are better or smiling. I’ve found that if you can focus on the other person and put their needs first, it’s usually always a positive experience.
I believe that to truly be a positive person, you need to feel and acknowledge all of yourself, emotions, and truths even if they are dark and not so positive–otherwise you are disconnecting. That being said, there is no need to dwell in anything negative for too long, because there is always a positive perspective to embrace. I see it as a process of going down through a tunnel and then into the light. The trick is to know when to make the shift and to remember to make it.
Positive things that have happened today: feeling more relaxed than usual
I completely agree with you about acknowledging all of our emotions, not just the ‘happy’ ones — it’s really important for emotional health, and it’s how you deal with the ‘bad’ emotions that makes the difference, not denying yourself those feelings and ‘smiling all the time’, this just masks and hides true feelings that are completely natural. I feel really strongly about this, because some people have suggested that never complaining or smiling all the time are what makes a positive person — but i think if you smile to mask fear or sadness you are burying true emotions that need an outlet, and will find a way out eventually. Better to express them and seem ‘negative’ than to be incessantly ‘positive’ on the outside whilst sadness eats away at you deep down.
I’m so glad you resonated with this–I feel like it’s not discussed enough. Here’s to valuing positivity, but keeping it real! :)
For me being positive is about embracing all the good things and looking at the not-so-good and trying to find something beneficial about it. It may not be obvious and sometimes you do have to look hard. Sometimes it is very hard to keep positive when things are tough, but as everybody doing the challenge has found, searching hard we can all find at least one thing to be positive about. Start with the small things and the bigger ones follow.
A positive for today: I feel soooooo much better. Things have really sorted themselves out – not on their own, but because I have persevered and have been determined to resolve issues. The challenge has been instrumental in the resolution, so THANK YOU. I know I’m going to be ok now :dance:
Being positive for me means seeing the beauty of every moment of your life, even when everything seems not so good. Being positive is expecting only the best from your life and knowing it’s going to get only better.
How can I become more positive? Just be in the present moment and look outside, not inside. There are so many wonderful things in this world, but I often get stuck in my inner world. I need to open my eyes and just see.
Positive thing of the day? I had a very honest and loving conversation with my husband. I suddenly felt the urge to become a better wife. Actually, I’m going to start my personal challenge to become an Ideal Woman in my own eyes and in my husband’s (I hope I already am perfect for him, but I want to get even better). I’ll post the updates of this challenge on the forums here :)
The intention is the most important so I am sure in your new challenge you will do good Stacey. It is not always easy to be the perfect wife, but there are many things we can do to improve, so for sure we can be better.
Being in the present and opening our eyes to the beauty of the world is definitely something we should tend to do more often.
Best wishes!
A positive person is someone who accepts themselves for who they are, but is constantly trying to improve themselves, because they want to be the best person they can be. They are generally happy and appreciate the things they have in life. They have identified what is important to them in life (their values) and live by those things. They have hope for the future, and dreams they want to accomplish. They focus on what they can do, and not what others do or don’t do.
I can be more positive by continuing to read my values and goals every morning, doing reflection in the morning (what I want to do that day) and evening (what I didn’t do as well as I could have) and telling people what I appreciate about them.
Positive thing for today: I came to work this morning to find a very thoughtful gift from my best friend! So lucky to have him in my life!!
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