Living with positivity, more than just a way of thinking

     Living with positivity is not just about how you think. It is a decision, a mindset, or in my case a whole life shift. Living with positivity is something I've been trying to do for the last eight years. But in the last seven months I feel I have really started to master it. I have gotten to a point where I truly look at the positive side of every situation. I try to wake up with a smile, show I care about the people in my life, remember to say I love you, help where and when I can, kiss loved ones goodbye before they leave, try to see things from someone else's view, consider I do not know what someone is going through, apologize when I'm wrong, never go to bed mad and always kiss my husband goodnight. I attribute my ability to do this in part to my husband, Steve, and in part to my time at the gym. Training, working out and the positive, motivating atmosphere at Muscle Inc. and the motivational spirit of my trainer, Brandon, have taught me that life is too short to not live with a positive attitude. 

     For many years I found it impossible to look at life through a positive lense. My first marriage was a tumultuous roller coaster to say the least. After 20 years of dealing with it, I hit my breaking point the summer of 2011 when verbal abuse turned physical. At that point I was at my lowest. When I look back at that day I see a completely different person from the strong, confident woman I am today. There are two significant life events that have changed my life for the positive in recent years. The first was when my second husband, Steve, came into my life. The second is when I started training at the gym with Brandon. Steve and Brandon have both impacted my life in very positive but very different ways.

     Meeting my husband, Steve, was my first step towards positivity. When my first marriage ended so abruptly that summer I had a support system of family and friends who helped me get through it. The hardest time was when I was alone and actually thought about what I had done. So I was rarely left alone. I had spent the previous 20 years in an ugly cycle of 'leave him, go back, leave him, go back.' This time I was not going back. When Steve came into the picture he took me off guard in the way he made everything about me and my happiness. Steve showed me how a man should treat a woman, helped me realize I'm not an ugly person or worthless and made me feel like I mattered. It took me a long time to get used to being treated well. I used to wonder why he was being so nice to me. It had been so long since I felt like my happiness mattered. Since the fall of 2011 when Steve came into my life I have learned a lot about myself. And I am finally at a point now where I can look at my first marriage and see that everything happens for a reason. My first marriage made me stronger, prepared me for the rest of my life and helped make me a better teacher, friend and mother. My second marriage made me realize all this and helped me see things in a more positive light.

     Working with my trainer, Brandon, was the second step towards positivity. Earlier this year when I decided to take control of my health and well being by signing up for a trainer I had no idea how the experience was going to impact me. I had said I wanted to make a lifestyle change with diet and exercise. Little did I know that my trainer, Brandon, was going to teach me a thing or two about living a better life. Training and eating clean changed how I felt physically and helped improve how I felt mentally too. The further I got into training, though, the more I could see my mind shifting to a more positive mindset and it was seeping into all aspects of my life. My relationships with family, friends, my students and my husband all improved. I had more energy. And as I got to the point that I was seeing results and felt comfortable in my own skin again, I was happier. 

     Living with positivity cannot just be how you think. It has to be a part of everything you do, everything you say, every thought you have. (or at least as close to every as possible). Like a lot of other things at the gym being positive is mind over manner. It is a decision to live your best life. It is the mindset that negativity has no place in your life. It is a whole life shift to be happy. Living with positivity is not just a way of thinking. It's a way of life.