Do everything possible to try and stay positive. This often involves looking at things in a new way. While we can be comforted by tradition and allow that to be our safety net at times, we need to look around for other nets when the one that held us before starts to develop some holes. Things change and life has a way of reminding us that we can make the most of a bad situation or cover up and burrow. Doing everything possible to remain in the light may cause you to squint, but it’s in this light that you see things in a new way. It’s new, it could be uncomfortable, but you’re also given the option of seeing things you’ve never seen before. You can visit a whole new place in a familiar space by just choosing to look around and notice. Dust dancing on a beam of light can be beautiful to watch or can become a reminder that it’s time to pick up the dust rag. Cleaning doesn’t usually bring about a sense of wonder. But finding beauty in an unlikely place does. Slip into being positive every now and again. It’s not a denial of reality, it’s a respite from it when reality gets too hard to hold.

Do everything possible to try and stay hopeful. There is a place inside your head that dreams and imagines. It cannot be contained if you allow it to flow. It will approach a situation with an openness and a belief that something might work. Hold onto those pictures inside your head and tuck them away for safekeeping. These are your seeds of hope. Not everything that happens to you is a result of purely external forces you cannot control. What you tell yourself about the world and all that’s possible is within your control and drives you to take action or not. Your hope and belief that the stars do align sometimes when you put yourself out into the world with a hope and a prayer is what moves you to hold on. Believe, remain hopeful and work hard. Hope cannot work without your active participation. It has to be nurtured and protected from all the negative chatter be it from inside or outside your own head. Hope also requires action, movement and a ton of courage. Work with hope tucked in your pocket trusting that the dots will connect and the trajectory towards your dreams will never be a straight line. Slip into feeling hopeful and let the next thing you do, or say, or think indicate that things will be more than okay.

Do everything possible to try and stay grateful. It’s easy to fall into the trap of dwelling on a single negative event even when you are surrounded by good things too. Fight to forge a new path. Picture your many thoughts as branches of a huge tree. You certainly could cling to that single branch and park yourself in a spot that offers a single, terrible view. Or…you could continue to climb off in another direction and take in the view from another angle. Now you’re moving! You can choose to be grateful for the new perspective, your movement, your courage, possibilities and all the loving creatures who support you as you climb and meander. Being grateful for every step you take and never minimizing all the good things that happen everyday, will keep you from hanging out on a branch to nowhere. Slip into feeling grateful for all that you are and all the beauty you bring to this world. You have the courage to scale new branches and see all that is working and all that is beautiful and how you fit into that magic. It’s all because you took notice and slipped on the coat of positivity, hope and gratitude. Wear it proudly and keep on climbing.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

1. What destroys your ability to stay positive?
2. Look around your space and notice something different. Are you able to find a path towards wonder?
3. Hope doesn’t come fully alive without your active participation. What can you do to keep your hope alive?
4. Can you get focused on what you lack as opposed to what you have? Why or why not?
5. What new path are you dreaming of forging? How will positivity, hopefulness and gratitude support you on your quest?