Should we always be positive?

I think so.

Being positive is not the same as being happy or feeling great. These are emotions. Being positive or negative is more of an attitude.

We can’t choose our emotions. They are all necessary and equal. Being happy is not better than being sad. Being sad is not “bad,” and being happy is not “good.” They are not good or bad - they just are. The same principle applies to everything: life is not better than death etc.

However, we can choose the way we view our situation. Viktor E. Frankl wrote a great book called “Man’s Search for Meaning,” which I think everyone should read. It’s quite short - you can read it in a day, yet the ROI on this is just immense. It’s like investing five bucks and getting 5 million back in dividends.

Whenever you complain about your life or think your life is hard or you have these problems, then this book will set you straight. Frankl went through such horrors that are unimaginable for most people, yet he remained positive in spite of everything. Most people would give up - and many indeed did give up. But that’s a choice!

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

So, we can’t control our emotions and nor should we, but we can control our attitude. Frankl describes this better than anyone: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Another thought: we should always do the things we need to do, no matter how we feel. Of course, it’s easier to do it when we’re happy, but we must do our work even when we feel like shit. We have to do the things we need to do in spite of everything.

KRISTJAN