It’s Hard to Appreciate the Good Without the Bad
Are you one of those people who is claiming 2016 to be one of the worst years yet?
This seems to be the overwhelming perspective judging by the media.
Yes, 2016 had some low points:

The presidential election
Aleppo
North Dakota Pipeline protest
Racism
Terror attacks
Celebrities passing away
Etc.

I could keep going and I’m sure you have a few things on your mind that sucked ass too.
However, what are some of the good things happened, specifically in your life?
If you reflect long enough I guarantee you could find some high points to balance out the rollercoaster year we’ve experienced.
I mentioned it in the previous episode 20 but it’s hard to appreciate the good without the bad.
Seeing the horrible things going on in the world like the suffering people of Aleppo should make you stop and appreciate every little thing that you take for granted.
How amazing is it to have a roof over your head?
How great is it to sleep without having bombs going off all around you?
How freaking lucky are you to have access to food and clean water?
See my point?
So ya, 2016 wasn’t the greatest but you have a choice of which lens you choose to see the world through.
Going into 2017, my message is to encourage you to find the light within the darkness. Appreciate when things are going right in your life as you can’t appreciate the good without the bad.
Negative Attracts Negative
I believe in the Law of Attraction and have watched it work many good and bad things in my life.
It boils down to the concept of “Like Attracts Like.”
When you focus on the negative, you’re going to attract more negativity in your life. Your mindset and the thoughts you vibrate into the world manifest more of what you’re thinking of.
Think about it; you wake up one morning and it feels like nothing is going right:

You slept in too late
You stub your toe getting out of bed
You speed to work because you’re running late
You honk and scream because everyone is driving too slow
You clock in late and it seems to be everyone else’s fault

After all this you think to yourself, “What’s next?” or “How could this get anything worse?” and the next thing you know your day is spiraling out of control.
Did you ever think that maybe you’re _doing this to yoursel_f with your mindset?
Seriously, this used to be me. I held a grudge against the world for the majority of my life and I self-sabotaged myself for a long time.
Imagine the kind of day you could have if you took a hit on the chin and chose to keep moving forward?
What would happen if you chose to see through an optimistic lens and appreciated the good whether it be small or large?
Positive Mindset & Gratitude
On the opposite end of the spectrum of “Like Attracts Like” you have positivity and gratitude.
Life is always going to throw you haymakers but why be in the mindset of constantly looking over your shoulder and waiting for the blow?
When you can find light in the dark times, you begin to appreciate the little things that go right.
It doesn’t always have to be something major like hitting the lottery for things to go right. Something as simple as someone complimenting you or opening the door for you can change someone’s day completely.
This can spark a whole chain reaction of positivity for someone if they choose to be in that mindset.
Positivity and gratitude allow you to find the light within the darkness.
Your 2017 Creative Encouragement
As I stated in the intro, there are times where finding the silver lining may not feel possible right away. I’m not telling you to be a positivity robot.
Be a human but also realize you choose how you see the world—everything is perception.
If the first thing you do in the morning when you wake up is spill your coffee, shake it off and be thankful you can afford to have it.
When you see negativity shining in your Facebook feed, don’t give into it and go to YouTube and watch some cat videos.
Appreciate the good and enjoy the creative process of y