My mom has been saying this for as long as I can remember. Anytime I doubt myself or am negative in some way, its safe to say that mom will soon respond with none other than (one of her famous lines), “well, what you think about, you bring about.” In other words, she’s not going to entertain my pity party! (which is a good thing.)

I hate to admit this, but I’m not an inherently positive person. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a happy and appreciative person! But at the end of the day, there’s just something about the way I’m wired that precludes me from living in a state of positive bliss. I like to think of myself as a pragmatic realist. And as a result, I think a lot. I tend to over-analyze every thing and just about every situation too. I don’t think I’ve had one coach, teacher, or mentor that didn’t say something along the lines of, “Brighton, you’re over thinking this.” And although some people might think it’s a disadvantage, I wouldn’t trade this trait for anything. I can’t imagine life without my non-stop-million-mile-an-hour brain. It’s part of what makes me me. Maybe it’s a side-effect of my tenacity and ambition. Who knows? But I do know that God made me this way for a reason, and I’m happy He did! :)

Anyway, my mom is absolutely right. We are all (somewhat) a product of our thoughts. And if we’re thinking negatively, then odds are, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors! There’s a fine line between being optimistic and naive, and I think that’s why I struggle with the whole always-being-positive thing. But I guess what matters is knowing where to draw the line between optimism and realism: being practical and prepared, yet relaxed and hopeful too. The older I get, the more I’m learning that life is all about balancing. Right?

Bottom line: happy and optimistic thoughts can go a long way. And when you’re thinking negative thoughts, you’re probably not helping your situation.  Think of this post as a continuation of last week’s gratitude post–the two kind of go hand in hand.