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Have you ever noticed that when you dwell on the negative you tend to attract more negativity into your life? This was just one part of the message that the pastor of my church had for us this past Sunday, and I woke up this morning thinking about it.

I realized that from time to time I find myself only thinking about the bad things that are going on in my life. I get into a frame of mind where I can only focus on the problems that I have going on at work. My mind becomes haunted with the ghosts of the unnecessary drama that my friends, family, and acquaintances are bringing into my life. I get caught in this downward spiral of negativity, and with each and every new negative thought that I have I seem to get caught up more and more in this downhill journey towards the great abyss of negativity. It’s easy to get stuck in this trap, but this is definitely a trap that you want to avoid, positive thinker.

Thinking negatively can become easy and almost routine at times, but with a little extra energy you can start to change your frame of mind from one of negativity to one of positivity. Throughout my life I have learned that once I start to focus on all of the good in my life, the bad stuff doesn’t seem as bad anymore. Focusing on the positive in my life not only allows for me to stop focusing on the negative, but it also attracts more of the positive into my life.

Another thing that my pastor mentioned in his message was for us to thank God for all that He has done for us. He encouraged us to make a list of all of the good that we have in our lives and to thank God on a daily basis for all of those blessings that we have.

Even though this was an exercise that I received in church, I believe that anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, can put a little bit more effort into being thankful for what they do have. You don’t necessarily have to wake up every morning and thank God for the good that you find in your life, but I challenge you to try and focus on the good in your life instead of the bad. Sit down and devote some serious time to making a list of each and every single good thing that you have in your life. This list can range from things as small as the new finger nail polish that you picked up from the store last week that matches the color of your eyes all the way up to the big things in your life like the fact that you have a warm home and a warm bed with a soft pillow that you can rest your head upon after a long day at work. It doesn’t matter how bad you may think your life is, everyone has something to be thankful for, and it is up to you to focus on those good things. Accept positivity instead of negativity. Pick the uphill climb towards joy instead of the downhill one towards despair. Now, I am no fool. I know that this climb towards positivity may not be an easy one, but most things worth having never are. You may get a few bumps, cuts, and bruises on this journey, but it will be worth it in the end. You, positive thinker, have the potential to bring about real joy into your life by choosing to focus on the good instead of the bad, so accept my challenge and make a conscious effort to dwell on the positive in your life instead of the negative. Try it. What do you have to lose?