What is positivity, and why is it important to have a positive attitude?

There’s 930 quotes on Goodreads tagged ‘positivity’ and 1741 tagged ‘positive’. That’s quite a fair bit, and certainly enough to convince anyone that positivity is a valued attitude.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

The American poet, memoirist, singer, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s words still ring a bell with many of us. Don’t complain but do something about it, and if you can’t, perhaps it’s you whose outlook needs changing. While not always true, it does show that a lot of our unhappiness can be self-made.

 

Positivity is an attitude, not a trait that some people have, and some are born without. The internet and books are full of tips on how to train yourself to be a more positive person, and how positivity helps you to live a fuller, happier life. Negativity and failures will never sway positive people as much as they do those with a more pessimistic view, and they are quicker to get over the disappointment and find something valuable in most experiences.

Positive thinking feeds our motivation, can act as a stress reliever, and helps one to live life to the fullest. That is not to say “change your outlook, and everything will suddenly be smooth sailing from thereon”, but with a positive attitude, it’s easier to accept setbacks and to move on from them.

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I’ve always considered myself a very positive person. I’m always smiling, even in tough situations – but not because I’m putting on a show, but because I truly believe one day it’ll all be in the past and the greatest things are still coming.

Positivity has also gotten me through a lot of tough situations in hectic work life, and I believe is a big part of my career success.

Maintaining a positive attitude also helps one to see the good in others and aids in focusing on the good, bright things in life. In a sad situation, I try to remember the good, and in good situations, I store the memory for years to come.

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And just like in real life, characters in the stories we write are all individuals, too; some have an upbeat, always positive outlook on life, some are pessimists, and some waver between both attitudes. It’s important to know which your characters are as it dictates a lot of their reactions and choices.

Out of my own characters, the sea elf Aisha (who belongs to a story a few hundred years down the line from Dulcea’s story) is unfailingly positive and an important, supportive friend. The other characters’ lives in that later timeline would be irrevocably gloomier and unhappier without her influence.

Dulcea herself, too, in my current dark high fantasy romance book series, is also positive and optimistic, often to recklessness, but without her enduring faith and positive thinking, there’d be no story to tell.

This picture and post go as a dedication to my two lovely, positive elven ladies!