The Bright Side

Sometimes life is dark; you can either sulk in the blackness or remember to open the blinds.

As a kid, watching my grandparents leave was a seemingly life-shaking experience. I'd beg and plead them to stay just a little longer as tears streamed down my face. In retrospect, this was a bit much, but as a child, it seemed appropriate for the occasion. The feeling of panic would happen every time until one day. My grandmother told me, "Honey, us leaving just means we're getting closer to the next time we see each other." The moment I heard this, I paused. I had never thought of this before. Immediately I felt better. Just one sentence sheds new light on the whole situation. Was anything different? No, but my mindset was transformed. From then on, I always remembered that just about every situation could appear better if I just looked at the bright side.

Positive thinking has noticeably changed my life, and research shows it has multiple benefits to anyone that decides to be more optimistic. Studies done by Barbara L Fredrickson has shown "positive emotions broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire." This means people that look at the bright side allow their minds to find more solutions to a given problem. Also, it was shown that once you figure out and use these solutions, you can recall them later when presented with a similar predicament. So, basically, happy people are plain smarter than sad people. Ok, it's not that simple, but there's some truth to it.

In the words of the late Billy Mays, "Wait, there's more!" As we look further, we see positive thinking not only has mental benefits but health benefits as well. As noted by the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, Positive self-talk has been linked to:

·  Lower rates of depression

·  Higher resistance to the common cold

·  reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease

·  Increased life span

Research is inconclusive on why this happens, but if I had to put on my thinking cap and guess I'd say the reduction in stress puts less strain on your body. So, remember kids, always think positive and eat your broccoli.

Now let's switch gears for a sec and explore "the dark side." After all, Star Wars taught us there is no bright side without the dark side, right? Don't worry I have a quote for negativity too:

"positive thinking may not always improve a situation, but negative thinking will always make it worse."

I heard this from a coach a few years back, and over time I've have learned this concept is probably the most accurate when it comes to mindset. Negativity makes you lazy. If you assume you'll never get a chance to succeed, then you won't prepare yourself for any opportunities that find you. It's crippling to a person's growth, and research shows it reduces your ability to find solutions. What's worse, negativity is contagious. More contagious than any virus recognized by the CDC. As an athlete, I saw how the mindset of people around you affects everyone's performance. There has never been and never will be a great team full of pessimistic players.

We are now to the point where I originally planned to go on about negative thought processes, how they affect us, and much more, but you know what, today, we're focusing on the bright side.

At the end of the day, life is just a series of situations. These circumstances aren't color-coded by "good" or "bad." There is no narrator with Morgan Freeman's voice to tell you whether you should be happy or sad. It's mostly up to you to decide how you view your reality, just remember, it's a little easier to see on the bright side.