Catch the contagion

With positive energy in your life, everything you don’t have but need can follow.  And without it, it’s practically impossible to get all the good things you want in your life.

Last week I discussed the gift of letting go.  This week, I thought I’d turn the tables by discussing what LDS singles need to hold.  And while I could provide a list, I thought I’d narrow it down to one item.

Yes, I know I once said it’s not just one thing.  That’s because it never is.  But considering the interconnectedness of life, is there one thing LDS singles could acquire that would exercise a strong influence in other lacking areas or even land them other desirables because they’re highly correlated?

I answer a resounding yes.  It’s positive energy.  With positive energy in your life, everything you don’t have but need can follow.  And without it, it’s practically impossible to get all the good things you want in your life.

Positive energy can grow and spread like a virus.  As long as you keep feeding it, your positive energy level can exert an increasingly greater influence over not only what you do but what others around you do.  You’ll attract into your life positive people who provide more fuel for your fire, increasing your PEL even more.

Plus there’s no downside, just an upside that gets better and better and better.  If you haven’t done so already, you definitely want to catch the contagion.

Make the switch

Of course, the natural question is this: How do I get positive energy if I don’t already have it?  Positive energy is like anything else that can grow; if you don’t feed it, it dies.  You also need to nurture it in the early stages of growth.

Transitioning from habits of negative emotion to habits supporting positive energy can present challenges.  But none of those challenges are insurmountable.

You have the power within you to make this happen.  How do I know?  The Lord himself declared it.  “For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward” (D&C 58:28, emphasis added).

Did you catch that?  The Creator of the universe has decreed you have power within you — power to do great things and bring about goodness into the world around you.  Those great things and that goodness include switching to a positive-energy-filled life. You can overcome whatever challenges stand between you and that life, because the power is in you.

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Get it to grow

Here it’s natural to start asking after specific actions you can take to make the switch.  As I said, positive energy will die if you don’t feed it.  So how do you feed it?

Start by recognizing the two aspects to growth: You must germinate the seed, and you must nourish the growth.  You germinate the seed of positive energy by changing the way you think.  In my experience, those who struggle with embracing consistent positive energy have a mindset that feeds negative energy and is reinforced with negative self talk.  You must think in ways that support positive energy, or you’ll never be able to keep it even if you happen to catch it.

So examine your habits.  Don’t like what you find?  Evaluate the assumptions behind those habits.  Often, those trapped in negative emotion patterns work off of faulty assumptions.  For example, a negative self talk piece common amongst many LDS singles is “I’ll never be accepted by a potential companion because I don’t have __________ .”  Fill in the blank with whatever you like, but the result is the same.  Working under that assumption will never lead you to the positive energy you need to have your best life.

Once you germinate the seed. you must feed your positive energy.  That means replacing negative self talk habits with positive ones as well as exercising care with the inputs to your life, especially in terms of media and people.

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Spread it around

You’ll know you’ve caught the positive energy “bug” once you get it.  There won’t be any doubt, because like a virus it’ll spread to influence every area of your life.  When that moment comes, you’ll feed your positive energy by spreading it to others.

This really is the best part.  You’ll radiate positive energy to others, and they have their own positive energy that radiates back to you, feeding your positive energy, which you give back to them.  It’s a continuous cycle of growth that feeds itself.

So catch the contagion.  The difference between life without and with positive energy is so night and day you’ll never go back once truly have it.  The goodness you bring into the world with your positive energy will inspire untold numbers to do the same, yielding untold blessings into your life.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

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You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.