One of the worst things you can tell someone going through the fire is to be more optimistic. It’s insulting and frankly nearly impossible for someone in the thick of a truly awful situation. It’s a myth that optimistic people simply haven’t experienced hardship or heartache. To the contrary, the most optimistic people tend to be the ones who came through the fire.
The Law of Duality
The law of duality explains the interaction of opposites. Explained simply, this means we know what dark is because we experience light. We understand cold because we experience hot. So, we understand positivity because we understand negativity. The two are opposites, but they don’t wipe the other out, they are more like the wings of an airplane, important for balance.
That means, optimistic people tend to be the same people who experienced genuine negativity, yet they choose to focus on the positive. That’s because the basis for positivity is wisdom.
Wisdom Gives Context to Positivity
Coming through the fire takes courage and grit. Most people don’t know how strong they’re capable of being until they’re required to face tough stuff. Going through difficult situations builds character and fortitude. It’s a wonderful time to mature and become more than you thought you could be. For many, the greatest takeaway from going through hard things is the wisdom of what’s important and what there is to be grateful for.
Wise People Choose Positivity
That’s why there’s no validity to the myth that happy people simply haven’t been through a tough time. Their bliss isn’t ignorance, it’s choice. After going through hard situations and having time to heal, most people get up, dust themselves off, and take their newfound moxie and move on with life. Though they couldn’t have possibly believed they would see better days, time and choice proved them wrong.
Allow Yourself Time for Wisdom
If you are in the thick of a tough situation, it may not be time for you to see the good mixed in with the bad. It may be too soon or too painful. That’s ok. In time you may be able to review what’s going on with a fresher perspective. In the meantime, focus on whatever you can that is positive and know that it is possible for things to get better.
Positivity comes with wisdom. From having lived through difficult things and despite the loss, choosing to believe in something bigger and better. Allow yourself to develop the wisdom to be more positive despite the negative.
