Is It Possible That I’m Wrong About Positivity Empowering People?

Yes, I might be wrong about positivity empowering people. If I am, I’m open to learning how and why.

Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash

One Monday morning, in February 2014, I logged into Facebook.

I was immediately bombarded by similar messages. Today is going to suck. I hate Mondays. What fresh fuckery will I deal with this week? Back to the terrible grind. And similar negative messages.

Wow, I thought. So much negativity. I wonder what I can do about that?

Thus began my Monday positivity posts. For almost 8 years, I’ve shared thoughts, ideas, notions, and processes for finding, creating, generating, and experiencing more positivity in our lives.

Along the way, I have battled the impressions of those who see anything related to ideas of positivity as toxic positivity.

What is toxic positivity? It’s the idea that positivity can erase, negate, and eliminate negativity. Positivity gets used to deny, disregard, and put blinders on regarding negativity. It’s toxic because that’s not how life works.

Negativity will always be. Period. And that’s good, frankly. We need the yin and yang of negativity and positivity.

After 8 years, do I think working on finding, creating, and sharing positivity made a difference? Yes. I know that focusing on positivity has put me in a better headspace overall.

However — I acknowledge that maybe I am wrong about positivity. Perhaps my idea that it is so empowering is incorrect.

I am open to that possibility.

Evidence reinforcing my confidence in this belief

I don’t just preach this idea without some evidence that positivity empowers and is good for us.

Let’s start here. Like attracts like — whether you believe in the law of attraction or not. Thus, if you are feeling down, talking about it, sharing negative posts on social media — you will find more things to bring you down.

This isn’t an abstract notion. From personal experience, when I feel down and focus on that — I find more things to make me…