“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
This quote, by Benjamin Disraeli, really speaks to me as I reflect on some difficult choices I’ll need to make–Choices that will ultimately result in action. Doing nothing and staying in a place of familiarity, i.e. inaction, is often our easiest and most popular decision. Most of us don’t venture into the unknown without a bit of trepidation. However, while doing nothing feels safest, it can have a negative effect on our happiness depending on our current state of affairs. Yet, doing something can also have a negative effect. So what do we do when the result of both action and inaction can have equally negative results? As this quote…
Exploring New Ways to PositLive
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the first blog post on this site. Since then, there have been full-length articles, poetry, and–more recently– short commentaries on insightful quotes. That means all of the content has been literary. But I realize it’s time to begin expanding the content on this site beyond words on a screen. Articles, poetry, and commentaries will continue. However, in addition to these, there’s something else that can help support our efforts to live life positively. It’s missing here. Yet, it’s VERY present in my personal life. That thing is music. I’m excited to announce a new category called PositLive Music, along with the newly created PositLive…
Storms of Life: Before, During, and After
Before the Storm It was another typical Monday. There was nothing out of the ordinary to foreshadow the storm ahead. I woke up, took a shower, attended a daily morning meeting for work, and mentally prepared myself for another long work day and week working from home. After a quick bite to eat, I dove right into work making slow but steady progress. About three and a half hours in, I hear the city’s emergency siren going off outside. It’s only then that I looked up from my computer and noticed the sky looked a bit dark. However, it was still nothing out of the ordinary. I turned on the…
Five Hard-Hitting Lessons We’re Learning From Covid-19
WARNING: This post is on a more serious note. Reading it may cause deep thoughts and reflection. Okay, you’ve been warned. And you’re still reading? Good! Let’s begin. We’re now at the point where most of us are beginning to lose track of how many days. How many days since our last night out with friends? How many days since our last restaurant meal? Or how many days since the Covid-19 pandemic officially made an imprint on how we carry our lives. But we’re also at the point where we can reflect on the lessons it’s teaching us about ourselves and society. These aren’t the surface-level lessons we’re learning, like…
What It Means to Live Life Positively During a Global Pandemic
Here on PositLive, it’s all about living life positively. As we continue to face tragedies and uncertainties every day, it’s becoming more difficult to do that. While PositLive means living life positively in the good times and bad, I would be remiss if I don’t explain exactly what that means in the situation we’re in. Why take the time to explain this? Because things like positivity, strength, courage, faith, fearlessness–all the things that are encouraged on this site–can easily be misinterpreted. I want to make it clear that those wonderful attributes should not in any way justify actions that might put yourself and those around you in harm’s way. In…
Lessons & Reflections on Social Distancing
So, I wasn’t going to talk about this. This site is not about discussing current events; at least that is never the intention. But here we are, experiencing something as a global collective that needs to be discussed here in this space. It is the coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic, which has given rise to a thing called “social distancing.” While there are many questions (and doubts by some) about the spread of the virus, one thing is for certain: although one of the best ways to contain its spread (through social distancing) can help our physical wellbeing, it’s not the best thing for our emotional wellbeing long term. After a…
You May Also Like
“Understand: you are one of a kind. Your character traits are a kind of chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. There are ideas unique to you, a specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths, not your weaknesses. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness.”
“It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power.”
“Happy people build their inner world; unhappy people blame their outer world.”
Reflection: Is it Worth it?
It was only a little over a month and a half ago that I decide to add ads to this blog. Is it worth it? Well, if you’re someone who writes content on a website, don’t expect to make much through ad revenue unless you have an insane number of views. AND subjecting your readers to unwanted and pervasive ads just for $1 at the end of the month (literally) is just not worth it in my opinion. So, the ads are gone. The blog finally looks decent again. However, asking myself whether having ads is worth it or not made me begin to question whether this whole thing is…
I Hope You Don’t Mind
A quick announcement. You might notice something a little different about this site that you hadn’t seen before. Pesky ads. There are a couple of things to note about this change. First, it’s my hope that they do not interfere with your reading experience. Second, they’re random and not chosen or endorsed by me. Feel free to ignore them. Happy reading, E.
A Look Back on a Decade
Without fail, the end of any year brings about a lot of different lists of the top highlights or memorable moments that year. It’s the time we look back, momentarily. And then we begin anew, focusing our sights ahead on the new year. As I reflect on not only the past year but the past decade, there are a few memorable events that happened that I want to give recognition to before we move on into 2020. While we’ve pedaled backward in some areas, we’ve made some progress in others; and that gives me hope. Here is my very short (I don’t want to bore you) PositLive list of highlights…
You May Also Like
“By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.”
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
Self-Esteem Part 2: How Does Our Self-Esteem Develop? A Roadmap to Increasing Self-Acceptance and Reducing Guilt, Shame, and Regret
Your Purpose
Back in the early 2000s, a book was published that seemed to be on everyone’s lips. You or someone you know may have had a copy. It was prominently stationed at most major bookstores, and people often carried it around or cited it in conversations. It was The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. The book is about understanding and living toward God’s purpose, or purposes to be exact. The author lays out up to five purposes for which God places us on this earth. It’s an overall message that is well-intended, clear, and legit. Surely, no one would have anything bad to say about this well-renowned book. Right? Well,…
You May Also Like
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.
Living Life Poetically: The Unspoken Words
