Yesterday, I wrote a post about meme stocks (a post I’ve since deleted). That was my post for the week. Yesterday was Saturday, and I had a really good day. Early in the day, I posted to Facebook about my aspirations for my future and I received a lot of positive and encouraging feedback. As I went to bed in the evening and thought back on the day, I realized that the one blemish on my otherwise positive day was my own post.
And so, I decided to delete it. It was negative and it came from a place of complaint. It was preachy and sought to place blame on a single group for something truly complex. It may have been right. It may have been wrong. Regardless, it’s just not what I want to produce and add to the world.
There is enough negativity. Last year was filled with it. And I don’t need to contribute to it. That doesn’t mean I don’t experience bad things in life. And it doesn’t mean I’m universally positive. In fact, positivity isn’t my default state. But I’m trying to change. I’m trying to help people. And I think I can do more good by being positive than I can by being negative.
In fact, that’s something I’ve seen over the last couple of days. Yesterday, my positive post on Facebook attracted more response than any post I’ve had in recent memory. Many of the respondents were people I haven’t heard from in years. Positivity attracts people, and it attracts more positivity.
Yes, there is enough negativity in the world already. Life is filled with hardships. Positivity won’t necessarily get rid of all of those hardships, but it won’t add to them, and it will help alleviate some of them. I would much rather help people overcome hardships than add to them.
We have an opportunity to help each other in life. We all will struggle from time to time. How great would it be to have friends who encourage us, lift us, and help us through those struggles? That’s the kind of positivity I want to bring to life. And it’s the kind of positivity I want here.
Matt Burr 