BLISSFUL-BOHEMIAN

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Is being positive, smart?

I have been thinking about this for days and I would like to know what you your take on this is:
Do a lot of people think it is stupid to think positively? Do positive people seem less interesting than people who are negative and have lots of dramas? I get this feeling from some people that it is sort of looked down on in a "Isn't she sweet and bubbly, but not too smart" kind of way. As a positive person some people treat me as if I am just not with it or informed. I am living with my head in the sand or I am in denial about life. I sometimes have felt put down for being upbeat when times are tough (never by any of you!). I think it is time for people to get with it and realize that the old paradigm is shifting. Positive is smart, it is interesting and it is a whole lot more fun than being gloomy and negative. It is not about looking away from the hard stuff, it is about accepting things as they are, but being excited about the future. It's about hope.
Is it soft headed to believe in miracles? Even when you have seen evidence of them all around you? Is it stupid to live your life looking at the bright side of things, more intellectual to see the
negative (realistic) side? It doesn't really matter, but sometimes it bugs me :-). I guess that is a bit negative, but just because I'm a positive person it does not mean I am perfect :-).
Happy Tuesday and thank all of you who sent healing messages to me and my mom, we appreciate it. XOXO

20 comments:

kj said...

i don't think being positive is stupid or uninteresting at all. i envy it. myself, while i try to live consciously and in the now, my heart sometimes hurts and i surely can be sad. that's not to say i'm not optimistic, because i am, but i don't know how to not feel what i feel...

an interesting post...
:)

Annie Coe said...

Kj-Oh, I still get sad, being positive does not mean you don't feel your feelings, it just means that you don't get stuck there. It is not always easy, but how you change your feelings is by changing your thoughts, which you have total control of :-). Thanks for coming here and commenting.

willowtree said...

While I have no problem with positive people (and I don't equate that to being sweet and bubbly) all of one particular belief to the exclusion of all others tends to make for an unbalanced view. I therefore prefer a mixture of all possibilities, which is often referred to a pragmatism.

But if you want to be only positive, then that's your choice as well as your right, and good luck to you.

Unknown said...

Annie, being positive is smart, and as a good friend, stay away from those who says otherwise. Being sad and being positive is 2 different thing, different emotions too. The law of attraction says, you gain or reap what you think. It does not recognise what is right, what is positive or negative, it just respond to your thoughts..and this is the most important so called 'law of the universe'. Trust me in this, it works, most of the time anyway :D

kj said...

i have total control of my thoughts, annie? ha! i've been obsessing over a lost love for months now, i do energy work, i meditate, i'm an aware and conscious counselor, and i have a fine life. but i can't yet get my mind to leave me alone. truth is my joy and passion got cracked wide open--not a bad thing at all--and i'm just now settling in with it!!

Inherently Different said...

You know that saying about ignorance being bliss? Well, I would imagine that most people equate consistent states of happiness with special olympic levels of stupidity. I mean, really it is a horrible conclusion to arrive at, but there it is. Personally, I believe happiness requires either utter stupidity or great intellect. The smarter you are, the more likely you are to understand how the world works and make the best of most situations. The dumber you are, the less likely you are to understand how the world works and more likely not to know you should care. It is the average people who suffer from some form of existential malaise.

sukipoet said...

to my shame, i must say that i am drawn to those ironic, somber, dark, heathcliff sort of people,(esp men) or at least i was in my past. i too could in the past get caught in that sort of mode of looking at life though dark lenses. i have spent many years "working" on turning myself around, on looking at the glass half full. i still find that sometimes i see the empty side. but now, i can reverse my seeing quicker than in the past. for example just doing some yoga can make me feel light and positive when previous to that i feel grumpy and negative.

i do think people think the glum folks are more interesting. but for how long a period are they interesting. at first their glum, angst ridden stories draw one in, but when you are hearing it for the 100th time it gets tired. and you do wonder, wait now, can't you turn this around. can't you move on. of course, we all move on at our own speed as kj has said. sounds so painful for you kj.

happy, cheerful, glass full folks add so much love and cheer to life and the world around them. perhaps, underneath, they came to this cheer also through much thought and angst but are just choosing to show to the world the cheerful side. and to themselves.

i dont see an easy answer here.

sukipoet said...

I wanted to add that I find all people fascinating and that includes the interplay between various personalities. The half full person interacting w/the half empty person creates an interesting and lively dynamic. As a writer for many years, I spent a lot of time just watching and listening people and all types are quite unique and engrossing.

Shattered said...

I think that being positive is a good attribute. I can't say that I'm the eternal optimist but I have learned that just about everyone could stand a little more positivity in their lives.

Ian said...

Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus would obviously have looked down on positive people, but Mother Theresa and Ghandi would have repected them.

I don't think it's a question of intelligence; it's more about your personal perspective.

Cynicism tends to appear clever because things have a habit of going wrong.

Obama is positive and clever, isn't he? Until something goes wrong.

Final tip: be positive - you could become president and you'll feel a whole lot better for it.

Erin Davis said...

I think some people thing cynical/negative people are smart and sophisticated. As someone who has to work hard to be a positive, in-the-moment person, I can honestly say that I have developed a deeper appreciation for positive people and realize that I need them in my life!

kj said...

hey, thanks for your note.

no! no! (i'm practicing)

that was sweet of you.

Kate P said...

Just catching up with the news--will keep your mom in my prayers. And belated happy b-day! My friend's son turned one year old the same day. :)

Optimism definitely comes easier to some more than others. Dr. Marty Seligman did a lot of studies on optimism and wound up writing a book titled "Learned Optimism." A counselor recommended it to me when I was in my early teens--I haven't mastered it but it's still with me today.

Suzanne said...

Hi Annie,

Great question. I really enjoy being around positive people and I feel so much better when I am positive. Positive people are fun and creative -- there is always something new and interesting going on.

I've been working with Abraham-Hicks information about deliberate creating for about five years. There are old beliefs to work through, but I can't stay in those ruts anymore. Those old negative feelings are uncomfortable -- it's like hanging onto a boulder in a fast moving river so I work however long or however many times it takes to change my thoughts until I come into balance. I'm getting to the place where I just don't want to waste my time feeling bad.

I think this is the time of awakening and there is a beautiful shift in consciousness going on. That's why there is the appearance of so much turmoil. Everyone is free to choose what they want to think and feel -- and the great thing is that we have that freedom, too.

We are liquid love expressing in these bodies so good feelings are our true nature. I would put my vote on being positive as a very powerful and empowering way to be in life.

I appreciate your pure, positive energy, Annie, and look forward to every post. I appreciate the honest, open, loving comments from your friends. It's wonderful to be able to walk together for awhile and talk about interesting things.

May you all be blessed with magical moments of delight this day and always. :)

Anonymous said...

I think you will always get people who think the tall moody looking guy in the corner is interesting, however most people will be around the smiling chatty guy telling an interesting tale.

I personally don't like being around people who are negative all the time as it brings me down too. It makes me think that instead of being able to do things, stuff will go wrong, or I'm not capable. Yes there are times when you feel saddened by things- you wouldn't be human if you didn't, but to dwell on them is a bad thing both to yourself and those around you IMHO.

Does that help?

Annie Coe said...

I love all your wonderful, insightful comments! This is a good topic, I have more to add in the next post, so stay tuned :-).
Thank you all for joining in.
XOXO

Sizzle said...

I believe it takes a lot of courage to be positive. The majority of the world takes the easy way out and suffers for it. Negativity begets more negativity. It's not naive or stupid to be positive. It can actually help one have a better life because really the only thing we can control in this life is our outlook/perspective.

Keep shining bright. You're doing alright.

Electra Rich said...

Hello.
I think there is a difference between head-in-sand positive and faith that looks beyond the sorrow to transform it. I enjoy reading your blog; it cheers me up when I'm having a bad day. Personally, I don't want to blog negative stuff unless it has a happy ending or is funny. I chose your blog for my Thursday Night Blog Review this week at Electra's Rough Draft. I hope you find peace and joy despite the troubles in your life.
http://electra-roughdraft.blogspot.com

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

I was gone last weekend and got behind on reading and posting...I am not sure I can catch up...but I have to start someplace and go from there.

Try that one paw in front of the other for now and don't fret too much about what you can't control.

I send positive thoughts you and your mom's way and know that can be uplifting when you are down, just thinking of that.

I remember someone saying to me "if everyone you know thinks of you once a day, you are always on someone's mind.

And being positive...sigh, I work with a group of younger people who whine and complain about their roommates, lovers, friends and I just have to walk away...like those tv shows where you won't want to live next door to the people in the show!

Sometimes I think why don't they just move, dump, find whatever makes them happy if they are so unhappy with their current situation or at least keep it to themselves as no one seems to say what they really think.

I should stop...sounds like me whining now!

Dagny said...

I love your positivity. And I wish I had it for myself. But as you know I don't. Not sure if it's from having the rug pulled out from under me one too many times, but I honestly feel FOOLISH trying to see the bright side...(for me. me only)

I think the fact that I generally don't actually know how I am feeling leads to strange places. LOL

xoxo