Fit Jerk Friday: Focusing On The Positives, and Shredded Beet Salad

TGIF everyone! Fit Jerk sent me this pep talk this morning, and if you read my post below, it was just what I needed!

This week’s pep talk from Fit Jerk:

Ahh, negativity… it has served us well by keeping our species alive for a long, long time. I mean think about it, when our ancestors were roaming around the forest and found a delicious berry bush, they indulged… only to run for their lives when ambushed by a wild tiger or something equally ferocious. Then, when they finally reached the safety of their caves, which experience are they prone to remember… being eaten to death or finding a new source of food? If you picked food, please slap  yourself silly.

Another example – Let’s say they were out searching for new sources of food again and came across a type of fruit that looked bright and delicious. The likes of which they’ve never seen… only to see a few of their family and friends drop dead because they didn’t realize the poison contained within. Which experience are they most likely to remember? The fun times they spent together or the time where their family members plopped to their deaths? Hmm…

So clearly, negativity is beneficial and has its uses. So what’s with the whole “positivity” movement that people have been preaching ad nauseam over the past few decades? If your brain is unconsciously wired to focus on negative experiences which help keep you alive, why should we change this type of survival programming?

Because the sheer number of dangers that are present in today’s world are practically insignificant to the number of dangers that were present a hundred thousand years ago. There is simply no need to focus on the negative situations any more… instead of keeping us alive, they now hinder our efforts.

But putting this advice into practice isn’t so easy. Remember, you are unconsciously wired to remember negative emotions and circumstances. So you need to completely re-wire your brain, if you don’t, you’ll fall right back into the negativity pit of lameness. If you don’t believe me, try this… at the end of an exhaustive and productive day, reflect back on what you remember most vividly. It’s probably shit that’s negative in some aspect.

“Oh my boss yelled at me today…”
”The dog peed all over the carpet again!”
”My car broke down…”

And on and on. No one recalls the little positive things that happens during the day such as:

Finishing projects
Having the time to catch up and hang out with friends
Being able to have a delicious lunch
NOT being killed
Finding out that your regular grocery items are on sale!

The ONLY time we remember positive situations is if they completely out-weigh their negative counter parts. You know… things like getting a huge promotion, winning the lottery and a bunch of other shit that occurs, oh so commonly. Not.

So for the next 2 weeks, do the following: Before going to bed, take a pen and paper (no laptops or smart phones… PEN!) and write down 5 positive things that occurred during your day. If you had a particularly shitty day… I don’t give a damn. FIND something positive to focus on. Maybe the fact that you’re alive and have a roof over your head is all you’ve got… and if so, write that down.

After 2 weeks, you’ll realize that you view the world in a whole new way. You won’t place so much importance on negative situations. Your boss yelled at you? Who gives a flying flip? Their negativity just passes through you like a ghost.

Your car broke down? Oh well, call CAA… get that thing towed and go meet a friend for coffee. It’s not worth focusing on the negatives anymore… things have changed. It’s time your ass did too.

- FitJerk