Getting A Clue Can Take Longer Than We Like, But...

You've heard that old joke where the guy goes up to a doctor and says, "Hey Doc, I have a problem I need to talk to you about.  I have this sharp pain whenever I go like this."  And the doctor says, "Then don't go like that."

There's a lesson in that joke.  If we know what behavior causes us pain or tension, we need to stop that behavior and learn how to heal the damage we've already done.  Sometimes, the healing happens as soon as we remove ourselves, but we have to actually remove ourselves.  I'll admit that I'm not always good at doing this, but I'm trying.  What I need to remember is that it helps to replace that painful behavior with behavior that makes a positive impact.  I know it always comes back to this, but I removed myself from the negativity others were posting online and started something I was hoping would invite people to post only the positive.  It's lightened my heart and given me hope that I can achieve the things I set out to achieve.

One of the things that gives me hope is a video someone posted on the Tell Me Something Good facebook page.  It's of a 5 year old learning how to ride a bike.  Once he does what he sets out to do, he feels very proud and goes into a speech on how other children should keep practicing because they too will do it... He finishes off the pep talk with a hearty, "Rock and Roll!"  That's the kind of thing I like to see.

So, if you're sinking in the news in the mornings and your stress levels rise whenever you hear about some idiot politician's tweets and explicit photos online... remove yourself from that news and find something good that makes you smile.  That's what I do.  Getting a clue took me longer than it should have, but I figured it out and no matter how tough it is, I'm sticking to my guns.  Rock and Roll!

Good Things... Not Always Obvious, But Always With Us.

Good things aren't always obvious.  All of us at some point have opened our eyes in the morning and winced away from the sunlight shooting in through the drapes.  We've covered our heads with our pillows and thought, "there's nothing good about today."  That thought is never correct.


One could think that sun shining and the birds singing and all the beautiful things that a beautiful morning has to offer aren't good things but it's only because they aren't thinking.  One simple thought makes all that worth while.  So they don't care about the sunlight or the birds or about anything else in the world... is it because someone hurt them?  The good thing in this common dreary sentiment is that they once loved someone... and quite possibly still do.  Another good thing is that they can love someone else just as much, maybe even more.  Of course they could be negative enough to counter that another negative thought, but positivity always counters negativity.  Something good is always with us.  I know this because I've been in that dark spot where there seems to be no hope.  I've been in a place where I've refused to listen to the voice of reason who had good things to say even when I followed every thought with negative words.  And most of you have too... at some point.


I posted a comment not too long ago about how, as I spread good things and positivity, I bump into people who meet me with hostility.  They feel assaulted when I ask them to tell me something good.  They actually get angry when I tell them to smile.  We know that physically it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, so they're working extra hard to look grumpy.  I find it silly for people to go out of their way to be miserable.  They can't justify it with any story of hardship and woe because I've been there too.  My life isn't as horrible as some people in the world.  I've never known the hardships that so many have known.  But at the same time, many haven't known the horror or the hardships that I have.  And I still have something good.  So how do we warm these people's hearts?  How do we comfort them and help them feel better?  How do we encourage them to spread positivity in order to change their own lives for the better?  We simply smile and wave.  I'd give that person a hug and keep sharing with them the beauty of everything good.  They can ignore it or deny it, but eventually it will melt that hard shell and they'll make it through.  Everybody has something good... countless somethings good.  We just need to open our eyes to see it.  This is the point of "Tell Me Something Good."  We can change our mental health and physical health and all the bad attitudes we have.  And with that, we can change the way of the world.  I'm not going to lie and say that we can vanquish war and cancer and everything bad in the world with a simple thought of something good, but it wouldn't hurt, and it certainly is a start.


I want to thank everyone who carries on this campaign.  I want to embrace you and tell you that every day I read your good things, I am better for it.  Every person that follows this blog or every facebook member who "likes" the page, makes me smile and gives me one more good thing to add to my collection.  Spread positivity.  Smile, laugh, love, and enjoy what you do.  At the end of this blog, approach someone in your life and say to them, "You're my good thing."  It's going to make you smile and I promise it'll make them smile too.


Good things are not always obvious, but they are always with us.
Join the Tell Me Something Good facebook page.

Let's Spread Some Positivity...

Spreading positivity is easy and on top of that, it's contagious.  If you practice positivity on a daily basis, you'll see that the people you come in contact with regularly will fall in line right behind you.  I'd like to see more people use these steps to spread positivity.  If you do it, you'll see how it can change the atmosphere for you and everyone else.


Number one:  Once I found out that sharing a positive message was fun and infectious, I thought about the fact that sharing negativity and complaints was just as infectious.  Do you really want to extend a negative atmosphere?  Or would you rather replace it with a positive atmosphere?  Hold on to your gripes and complaints.  Keep your judgments and your irritations to yourself.  It doesn't help anyone when you fire off those "negativity bullets."  The people you complain about become negative, the people who read or hear your gripes become negative, and it keeps you in that grey unhealthy spot.  I understand that sometimes that stuff just needs to come out, but instead of exploding or infecting others with it, you can jot it down on a piece of paper and come back to it later when you can turn your attention to it and any possible resolutions.


Number two:  This one might be easier than the first on this list but it's no less important.  Make it a point to greet strangers you see on the street with a smile and a simple "hello" or a "good morning."  It feels great to receive pleasantries and it feels just as good to notice the effects they have on people.  I do this all the time and sometimes the smiles I get are worth a mint.


Number three:  Try slowing your response time when having a conversation.  This is a step you might not normally think about but when you're talking to someone and they're quick to respond, you'll notice the tension rise.  Take a conversation where the people involved fire off responses like a tennis volley, and you've got a conversation that could quickly turn into an argument or at the very least, bring stress levels up higher than they should be.  This applies to online as well.  I've been guilty of expecting a sudden response because I've gotten used to the "instant gratification" that technology has given us.  Now that I'm learning to relax, realize that it isn't crucial to get the response right away... just as it isn't crucial to give one.


Number four:  Try laughing more.  I used to tell people that I wasn't a fan of comedies.  They's shake their heads in disbelief and say, " but you're such a funny guy... what do you mean you don't like comedies?"  I'd have to explain that I was always disappointed with the comedies of today because none of them made me laugh.  My trouble back then was that I wouldn't allow myself to find something funny in the films that I'd watch.  You can find something funny in everything.  These days, I'm watching movies I wouldn't have before and I'm playing more and more practical jokes and... I am allowing myself to laugh.  I laugh at myself and and everything around me, and I feel better for it.  Also, when others see you laughing, they won't be able to help laughing as well.


Number five:  You might have seen this coming but #5 is something I've been promoting for about a month.  Share something good.  There is always something good around us, we just don't always choose to see it.  Make it a point to share a funny story or tell someone in your life some of the good things that surround you.  Trust me, doing this will prove to be very effective.  I post my good things on Facebook all the time and the response is really amazing.  It's something that's branched off to others beyond my original expectations and they're passing it on to their friends.  Every day I get emails thanking me for the positive posts and every time it makes me smile to know I've made a difference.