Focus On The Positive with Dr. Joy Johnson

Photocredit: SacAct.Org

I intentionally live my life day by day focused on what is going right, rather than what is going wrong.  When I meet or face obstacles or difficulties, I focus on the part of the issue or problem where I can affect a change and not on the part that is out of my control.  This is the mindset that keeps me feeling both positive and empowered.  

My mindset has developed more and more over the years, but I trace it back to my mother and my grandmother. They both were very strong women with a conviction to family survival and advancement. Since they were always expecting and looking for solutions to problems that "crushed" most people, I grew up with an assurance and certainty about life, in general, and about our life in particular. I picked up the belief system that nothing is too hard once you set your mind to it. 

There is much value to be passed down in a multi-generational family and I received so much positiveness from being raised in the same house with my grandparents most of my life. I think it was the strength of the family layers that made my life feel stable. Out of that stability, came my assurance that as much as things around us may change, our home life stays the same.

I have tried to instill these same learnings into my own children.  They are grown now and attest to me that their "positive" views on life are rare among their peers and colleagues. I would like to see a real culture shift that instills positivity as a social norm to combat the hopelessness and defeat that plagues our society - young and old.

Dr. Joy Johnson
Website: www.wherelifematters.com
Twitter: @joyjohnsonmin