Do you consider yourself a positive person?

[Jinx]

This is something I've been giving a lot of thought to recently. My life has been going pretty great lately (except for a few small hiccups that aren't completely in my control) and I've been very happy. Even though I do sort of pick at small things, I've noticed I have less of a reason to complain, and when I do complain, I can usually find a silver lining.

These days I'm more interested in believing in the best of people--especially those who I don't naturally get along with, or whose opinions and lifestyles are in conflict with my own--as well as wanting to uplift others instead of tear them down.

In the past I was really negative and it is something I still struggle with from time to time, but it's something I mostly want to get rid of in myself. I've noticed that I do go through cycles and it also has to do with season and how my mental state is and all of that.

So do you consider yourself a positive person? What are ways that you stay positive? What are areas of you're life that you're negative about, and what do you plan to do/how do change or control them?

[Psychotic]

I think I'm a realistic person. I have a lot of empathy and sympathy for people particularly because I've worked in charity throughout my working life and seen a lot of desperate, awful and heartbreaking situations yet still seen people persevering. Even though some of the situations are of people's own making, it's important to try to understand the road they've come down and that even by asking for help they're taking that first step in trying to put things right. Outside of the work I do, I do try to be empathetic but my Mum has always said even from an early age I've never suffered fools gladly and she is probably right.

In terms of my own life, on the whole I've always felt happy about it. I've had a lot of advantages and I'm really fortunate to have them, so I consider myself very lucky, I'm so pleased to have the hand I've been dealt with and I think I'm good at putting any negative or road bump into perspective.

[Pumpkin]

I think I've been much better at being a positive person lately. There are still things that get me down, like the frustrating stuff we're going through with the house, but I'm better at picking myself up and still being happy after I get my venting and frustration out.

[Madame Adequate]

I try to be. Sometimes it's difficult because my education and some major interests have largely revolved around things that are bad and not getting better, and it's so utterly frustrating to see things that could be done far better but aren't, but I try to look back over the time humanity has spent on earth and reminding myself just how far we have come.

I do believe people are basically decent. Nobody is perfect and some people are awful, but I don't find it credible to believe that societies which grant more personal freedoms and are more about personal fulfillment would do better than societies which take the opposite path, unless we were a species more inclined towards good than bad. Of course, we can also be moved to utterly horrendous horrors, but at least we try to pretend those are exceptions and crimes, which we wouldn't bother with if they were broadly acceptable.

On a more personal level I'm pretty optimistic and positive. I'm just biding my time until Pike and I can afford the visa fees and wedding and stuff, which is frustrating because everything else is in place, it's just gathering the money for that which is blocking us, but we're making progress towards it, and I've come to realize that even if you can't be precisely where you want, knowing you're on the way there is a pretty good consolation prize.

[Pike]

I'm pretty much constantly happy to the point that I think it probably irritates some people! I can be a bit high-strung and a worrywort at times but that's a far cry from being sad or depressed.

I assume by default that everyone is great and also intelligent (in fact I assume by default that everyone is more intelligent than I am) and it's next to impossible for me to hold a grudge of any sort because I just forgive people like I'm handing out candy. That's just how I am I suppose.

I'm also trusting like a puppy and one of these days that will probably get me in trouble.

[Ayen]

I think I'm more positive in reaction to other things than I am about myself, but that usually falls into self-doubt and not always being confident in myself. I always assume the worst until I'm proven wrong when it comes to something I'm doing and I some time worry about other stuff like a mom.

[Shiny]

Yes, I think I am O positive.

[Alive-Cat]

I consider myself a very positive person! Or rather; I'm 100% as positive as I can possibly be. Looking back, I've haven't lived a positive lifestyle, treated myself in a positive way or been that positive towards others in my life. But that's not to say I haven't always tried with my absolute everything to be. And I think that's what really matters, despite what the outcome is, it's the trying to be positive that matters, because that's all there is to it.

With other people, basically someone has to hurt my feelings so bad or hurt me physically for me to not be positive towards them. I try to be understanding all the time and see others in a positive light, no matter what.

Punk, it's philosophy and it's music is the most positive force in my life, really. A lot of decisions I've made recently, I doubt I could have made without that positive ideology backing me saying: be yourself, it's your life, love yourself no matter what anyone thinks, don't let anyone else or society in general tell you who you're 'supposed to be' and just be who you are. I mean, that's what attracted me to it in the first place as a child, and it's saved me again now. That and loud abrasive music making me feel unstoppable. But yeah, the philosophy rings now more true than ever, I'm just glad I've been able to hear it again.

[Shorty]

I am generally optimistic about life and try to enjoy the simple things it has to offer. I experience high highs and lows lows and try to be realistic about things. Sometimes I hope for the best, sometimes I can't see anything but the worst. How I see a situation, positive or negative will often depend on my mood.

50/50, I would say.

[Bunny]

Nope.

I believe people are, by and large, selfish and stupid.

[Cloudane]

Yeah, I'm quite positive.

Just actually posted about similar elsewhere so a bit of copy-paste here and a bit of editing (it was talking in context of trust, as well as getting more cynical and negative as you get older - but I think it's applicable):

It may just be that I've been fortunate not to have been done too badly by and to live in a decent area too, but don't think that growing up has to necessarily mean one has to become world-weary and cynical. Some of the things and communities I've come to love and follow often try to challenge that, to say "stop just 'accepting how the world is' and letting it wear you down, and be better".

There's a fictional story I saw recently where someone was taken advantage of for their generosity and ends up asking themselves why they bother. It's one of those moments where traditional wisdom would be "ok now you've learned your lesson, welcome to the real world, trust no one, be careful who you help in future" - a moment, a 'reality check', that our society seems to take pride in as a rite of passage to adulthood. Yet the story dares to send a more optimistic message - it shows the character ultimately deciding to just continue being generous despite having been taken advantage of, and everyone ends up better off for it. Because the one who took advantage was an exception. The main reason all the others in the story were only looking out for themselves is because they all feared that everyone else was out to take advantage of them - once that cycle was broken, it became a nicer place (if only for that moment.. but hopefully longer!).
Fictional, but I saw a lot of truth in it - I do think that we get into cycles of "non trust" that can make us all treat each other with more suspicion than is necessarily good for us.

Certainly we should exercise some common sense, but I think we so often overshoot and just assume that no-one can be trusted to be decent, that they're guilty until they prove themselves innocent. There is truth in the saying that trust is earned and not given, but I think there's more to it, perhaps, a faith that people will be more likely to be worth it than not. And so I can't help wondering if we can collectively change this 'reality' with just a bit of extra positivity. I think that positive attitudes towards others are just as infectious as negative ones and can actually spread quite quickly. I've seen it blossom in a few places and it's always very nice to see.

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I also have a general life view that, we're here, probably not for some great purpose, but we are. For a very limited time. And so I don't want to squander that time feeling negative and hating everything - I'd rather enjoy myself Usually that just means hanging around places where everyone seems nice (here as an example) as I think positive attitudes and general "niceness" work best in numbers.

One day I know something very horrible will happen, and it'll test that. Bigtime. I like to think that, as the dust and my emotions settle, I'll be able to remember that logic about life and learn to enjoy things again. In the case of a bereavement, no doubt under the knowledge that the loved one would've wanted that.

[Christmas]

Nope.

I believe people are, by and large, selfish and stupid.

Selfish, not really. I still remember that campaign where everyone work together to boost your usernote number to 70!

Stupid? Maybe to a certain extent. But everyone have so much fun. lol.

[Rocket Edge]

I am definitely a positive person. It takes a lot for me to get annoyed and if something goes wrong I'll always look at it as 'It could be worse'. Maybe it's just my laid back attitude, but that has it's own down-sides too.

[Loony BoB]

I am a positive person. I like to think the best of people and I have been criticised in the past for giving them too many chances. But I'm pretty happy with my life and my outlook on things.

[Shauna]

I like to try and be a positive person, and I think it goes well for the most part! I do try to be realistic about things though - my ex used to complain that I was too negative about things, but I felt I was just being realistic about any given situation. The only time I don't feel that's the case is when I am feeling particularly awful, then my whole outlook on life actually plummets and everything is actually terrible and will never improve.

So yeah. If I'm in a good place I can be painfully positive about things, but if not... positivity is not something I can channel. :3