How to Take Things Positively?

We often say “I should be more positive in life”, and yet on the other hand, we are seen complaining and sulking over events. It is easy to say one should adopt a positive mindset, but difficult to follow-through. This is because we are impulsive in reacting to the external happenings negatively, rather than keeping peace with a positive understanding within.

Let’s take the following situation:

Say, you are on your way to work. While you are almost at the bus stop, you see the bus approaching. You run to catch the bus; but the bus leaves.

1) Our immediate reaction could be

“Oh no, I missed the bus again. Why does this happen always with me only? Now I will be late to work. My boss will yell at me and I will get in trouble.” Here, the mind immediately wandered through lot of negative outcomes, most of which may actually not even happen, causing unnecessary worry. Instead of bouncing back by thinking about the next corrective action to get to work, this worry and fear makes the person even more late, and more depressed.

2) What if we react in this way?

“Well, I missed the bus today, there is nothing I can do about it now. But the weather is really beautiful. Let me walk it out to work, as quickly as I can, so that I do not get further too late. Today’s a great opportunity for me to exercise a bit and also enjoy a lot, because but for this I wouldn’t have had the chance to enjoy this wonderful weather, sitting at my desk all day!”

See, how easily we can find positives in an adverse situation too. So, why look at negatives and make ourself endure pain, when we can walk away from the situation happily?’

The situation has already happened; it only needs to be accepted in a positive manner to move on in life on a happy note. But on the contrary, when bad situations happen, we often think “how could this happen to me?” Moreover, we feel depressed thinking that such situation is “always happening with me only”. Carrying such pessimistic wrong beliefs, it is difficult to view situations positively.

And by understanding that ‘all positive and negative events that happen in my life are a result of my past karmas’, we are able to easily accept any outcome, knowing this is how it is meant to be. The principle to be applied here, is : Whatever has Happened is Justice. We must very well know that the events that happen and the people we interact with, are merely instruments in delivering justice to us, based on the karmas we have done in the past.

We cannot change the situation nor can we change other people’s reactions. But we can certainly change our viewpoint from negative to positive and surely find peace.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan asks us to never worry, because doing so makes us suffer twice. In the above example, we already have to undergo the first suffering of missing the bus, this is something that we cannot avoid. But by reacting negatively, we invite the second suffering. So, exercise your choice to accept the first suffering positively and thus pass your day happily.

Our expectations do not allow us to accept things that happen around us. When things don’t go our way, negative feelings arise due to our own expectations. So often, we have a fight with our spouse or children. Why? because we expect them to do things or act the way we think it right.

Once we understand that ‘every event in my life shapes as per my past karmas and not as per my present will’, we will be able to slowly let go of all our expectations. And that is when we will become more accepting for all outcomes, we will be able to take things positively, and our internal peace will be naturally maintained regardless of any external situation.

One more reason why we cannot take things positively is that we think it will have an ever-lasting impact on our life.But just think about any event, big or small, that has occurred in your life. Did you continue to endure pain of the same intensity a few days after, a few months after or years after? No. Initially, we do feel the pain as we believe our life is ruined and now we will remain affected by it forever. But in some time, we see that the pain is gone and our life has got back to its routine. This is because all things, except for our true self i.e. the Soul, are temporary.

So, we can remain detached in our experiences, seeing them as happening based on Karmas; and more importantly, seeing them as not affecting our true self at all. But this is possible only on Self-Realization. When we happen to realize what our real Self is (Self-Realization), we will know that ‘I am a Pure Soul’, which is only the knower and seer of everything that happens; nothing can affect the Soul.

With this knowledge of Self, we are able to take things positively, effortlessly; for we now know very well that ‘any negative, no matter of what magnitude it is, can never touch me nor affect me in any way’.

To read more about positivity, visit: https://www.dadabhagwan.org/path-to-happiness/self-help/positive-thinking/