The Power of Positivity

Who we choose to surround ourselves with plays a huge part in our ability to succeed and achieve great things. For example, in the following video, we witness an experiment conducted by National Geographic about how positive and negative reinforcements can affect a player’s game on the court.

After watching this experiment, we clearly see how a person's chances of success can be influenced by who they choose to listen to and who they surround themselves with. This makes me think of parents and how they influence the mindset and success of their children. I think about leaders and how they influence the mindset and success of their team members. Also, I think about an audience and how they can influence the mindset and success of a sport player or speaker.

So what is the lesson to learn here? Well, you might say, "it's to stay away from negative people and surround yourself with positive people." But, if we put ourselves in the position of the audience in this experiment, we can also say that the lesson for us is that we have the power to influence people's success and lives with positivity and negativity. With this thought in mind, we now know that we have the ability to hack and alter our brains without actual physical surgery.

So how can we use positivity to influence our own and other people's mindset and success?

Here is one tip.

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude allows us to participate in and celebrate life. When we count our blessings, we focus on magnifying the good and appreciating the value we gain from experiences, people or life itself. One of the key benefits of gratitude, as stated by scientist Robert Emmons, is that it blocks out negativity and helps with depression. In other words, you can't be grateful and resentment at the same time, or grateful and sad at the same time. When you are grateful, you only have room for positivity. In summary, gratitude gives us perspective, resilience against stressful times, strengthens our social ties with others and improves our sense of self worth. Cultivating more gratitude helps you to be positive towards yourself and others.

Weekly Gratitude Exercise: There are so many things in your life to be grateful for. These may include having close friends, being in a loving relationship, being a part of a supportive family, having a roof over your head or enough food to eat. On the other hand, you might have a job that you love, happy memories, a smile from someone, had your dog welcome you, or the smell of fresh flowers while walking. This point is, you can always find something to be grateful for. Reflect back on your past week and list down three things that you are grateful for.

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