Think Positive! (And The Difference It Makes) by Keeton Byerly
Being mindful of my daily energy budget is something that I have always recognized as being important. However, it wasn’t until recently that I realized the type of energy that I allowed into my budget is also just as important. I never realized how much negative energy I had in my life and how it impacted my interactions with others. It wasn’t until I actively chose to incorporate positive energy in all aspects of my life that I was able to reflect and see exactly how much negative energy was weighing me down. Since I started actively choosing positive energy, I’ve been amazed at how much it’s benefited me and shifted my perspective.
I work in retail. In the past, it was really easy for me to shrug off others if I was having a particularly bad day. On these days, I would get so frustrated helping people with questions: I felt like I got asked the same question so many times throughout the day—truthfully, it all felt so monotonous! I found that with time, “particularly bad days” became more and more common. My energy level was so low, I often felt negative. Dealing with the same issues each day, feeling stuck and wanting a change.
I found that when I was coming from a place of irritation, my negative energy was amplified, and it impacted others around me. I remember one instance of being so fed up with having to pick up the slack from my coworkers on a different shift that I just ranted the whole morning. While it felt good to voice my frustrations in the open, my coworkers got annoyed by me, and it caused a bit of tension with them for a week or so. I just felt like I needed something to change.
Then I realized I could be the change.
One day, I decided to show kindness to others in every interaction, and I can’t believe the difference that it’s made in my own life. I went from dreading each day and every hour I’m at work to now embracing the opportunities I have to interact with new people every day.
The interactions I have each day are varied. Some are casual and generally positive experiences. At times, however, I’ll see people who are having a really bad day. I can hear it in their voice: they are distressed and just having a tough go of things. These are the interactions in which I try to give my absolute best. While I would ideally like to help them find what they are looking for, sometimes things happen. We might be out of stock of an item; maybe we have stopped carrying it; regardless, I always try to do everything I can to help them. Could I recommend an alternative item to them? Or maybe I could recommend another store they could look for?
It’s in these interactions that I do my best to try to reduce the burden others are feeling. And I’m sure that in many of these interactions, the other person might not immediately realize the impact and effort that I’ve made. I have hope, however, that this will encourage them to pay it forward at a different time when they encounter someone else who is having a bad day and help ease their suffering as well.
I think by incorporating this approach to energy, positivity and gratitude will spread to others, far beyond the original experience that I had with someone who was having a bad day. It’s my sincere belief that if these positive energies continue to spread, humanity is able to heal a small amount, and so many people are better off, regardless how minute it might seem at the moment.
Making these changes is hard, I completely admit it. I think for me, the thing that really drove me to want to make a lasting change was the realization that the way that I approached energy wasn’t working for me. Once I realized this, then I was able to work towards exploring different approaches to energy and the type of energy that I was showing to others. One day I decided to try to show kindness to others. I realized that this energy was beneficial not only to others but also to myself as well. Now I can’t even imagine going back to the old ways I interacted with others.
I would encourage you to reflect on the interactions that you have with others. Do you find yourself getting easily irritated or being negative towards others in different aspects of your life? I think even if you generally find yourself having generally positive interactions with others, careful and meaningful self-reflection will help you see any room for growth you might have. I promise you will feel so much better!
Additional tools for when you may be in crisis:
U.S. Crisis Text Line: 741-741
Ohio Mobile Response and Stabilization Services: 1-888-418-MRSS (6777)