If you've spent much time here on the channel, you've probably become one of
those positivity warriors. But how do you stay positive when you're feeling down. I
got some tips for you today. Some of our subscribers have hit me up with this
question: "Dr. Paul, I'm a really positive person. How do I stay positive when I'm
feeling down?" And especially when I've set up this expectation now. Because all
my friends and my family they expect me to be this positive person. You know what?
I can relate. I am Dr. positivity here. And so, people
really expect that for me. -- To stay up. You know, to stay positive, stay cheerful and
there are times when we just don't feel it. When you're feeling down, are you
feeling blue? So, the first disclaimer here: Positivity is an attitude. It is not
your feelings. Now, they're associated and related and they affect each other. But
there's a little difference between attitude and feelings. I got to give a
keynote. Earlier this week at the Utah Air National Guard, a bunch of airmen up
there who... Thank you for your service and for keeping us all safe. And I was
sharing the stage with a pilot. Mark Hasara, retired Lieutenant
Colonel for the Air Force who flew in four wars as a tanker pilot was sharing
the stage with me. What an honor. And I was talking to this retired Lieutenant
Colonel about attitude. Attitude is an aviation term. I said, "Mark, what is
attitude?" And he said, "Well, it's position." Position? Position of the plane.
You know, relative to the earth or the hard stuff down there. If you got a nose
down attitude, you're heading into the hard stuff.
Nose up attitude gives you altitude. Attitude is position. Consider that for
just a moment. If it's our position and not necessarily our feelings then we can
feel whatever we're going to feel and still have a positive position or
attitude about that thing. For example, I was playing basketball. I do this three
times a week. This is my exercise routine. I've been doing this for over 20 years.
About an hour of basketball 3 times a week. And occasionally, I get injured. In
fact, Vicki kind of ribs me about this sometimes. Because most of our emergency
room bills are from my health practices. Basketball specifically. I got injured
this particular morning by coming down on top of someone's foot and my ankle
rolled and it popped. I sprained my ankle. Now, if you've had a sprained ankle, this
is painful. Oh, My heavens. Pain and it's immediate and it's intense. And as I'm
riding on the floor in pain, holding my ankle, I hear myself say, "This is perfect
for me!" And I had a forced smile. Was I feeling pain? Yes, I was. Was I positive?
Yes, I was at the same time. Does that sound weird? It surprised me a little
even. I had worked with clients before about. Just say, "This is perfect for me."
Say, "This is good." Say, "This is just exactly as it should be." You don't even
know if it's all of those things. But you're taking that position. And you
choose it on purpose, that's what positivity is all about. It
has nothing to do with what you're feeling. In fact, what you're feeling is
the weather report. It's kind of like saying it's raining or it's snowing or
sunny. Big whoop! What does that have to do with what I'm going to do today?
Hardly anything. I am going to go forward with living on purpose. Whether it's
raining or snowing or sunny. It's simply the weather report. So, when you think
about your feelings as the weather report then you can keep a positive
position no matter what. Hopefully this realization will take away some of the pressure.
Feel whatever you're going to feel. The fact that you're a positive person is
totally established. In fact, you're a subscriber here, right? If you're not then
please click on the subscribe. We want you to be in our family permanently. You
are a positive person. You watch Live on Purpose TV. You practice positivity, you
share these principles with other people. You know you're in the group here. You
are a positive person. Now, that being said, you're going to feel a whole range of
things. And they're going to be some days when you wake up and you're just not
feeling it. You know? Those days when it's just like,
"Oh, man", right? Or you'll feel pain or you'll feel sadness or you'll feel down
or blue about something. Let yourself feel whatever you're going to feel. You
are a human being. Welcome to earth. Positivity does not mean we go around
and unrealistically pretend to be happy all the time.
Positivity is a position that we take about our life and about our
circumstances. And we can do that no matter what we're feeling. Let yourself
feel whatever you're going to feel. I wondered whether to share that. I'm going to
share it with you. I was painting our hallway. While I was painting the hallway...
And it takes a little while, you know, get all the paint up there just how you want
it. I was kind of enjoying it. I like to do home improvement projects. But I'm
listening to some music. This country song comes on. I kid you not. Probably
some of you will know this song. The lyrics were these: If you're going
through hell, just keep going. Don't slow down. And I just cracked up. I'm like, "Wow,
that's beautiful." If you're going through, keep on moving and then it finishes up
with, "You might get out of there before the devil even knows you're there." Only
in country music can you get away with lyrics like this. But I love that concept.
If you're going through hell, just keep going. Don't slow down, don't set up camp,
don't pitch your tent here. You probably want to keep on moving. What if we had
that attitude. That position as we go through
the difficult things in life. Yeah, this is the weather report. Here's where I am
right now. I'm not setting up camp here folks, just passing on through. I like
that concept. What if we were to also practice daily habits of happiness.
Positivity success prosperity. And I say practice because it's a skill set. We
know that happiness is a choice. And that is so annoying for people to say that
from the stage or in a trite fluffy way where they don't back it up with the
science of positivity. Yes, we know happiness is a choice and it's a skill
set. And a skill set you get to practice just like playing the piano, playing the
guitar, speaking Spanish or French or Finnish. You get to practice it. Because
it's a skill set. Obviously it's a choice. You have to choose to play guitar but
that doesn't mean you have the skills yet. So, hire an instructor. Put yourself
on a schedule, do some practice, get into the routines of learning the skill set
that allows you to have what you've just chosen to have. Can you choose happiness?
Can you choose positivity? Even when things are getting you down? Absolutely.
And hopefully some of these steps will help you to have the practical way to
actually get yourself there. You got this. I just love that you're here. Love that
you're subscribed, love that you're part of this positivity movement. If you're
new to the channel, make sure you subscribe and check out our personal
development playlist. You're going to love that.