What’s the secret to a positive mental attitude?

Ah, this world it exhausts me!

This perpetual struggle to ‘live your best life’. To be the best you, that you can be. Isn’t it sometimes to have a mediocre day? Or not to be the best me. To be the me that can’t be bothered to put a bra on and eats a packet of biscuits for lunch.

Postive Mental Attitude

I’m a big believer in a positive mental attitude, its just that PMA isn’t such a great believer in me. You see, I’ve had the most horrible couple of weeks. We moved house to a building site and half our furniture was ruined in the move. We had to fire our nanny. There have been 3 hospital visits resulting in stitches and steroids and every medicine in between. Every time I thought the heap of elephant turd that appeared to be my life was clearing Dumbo dumped on me all over again.

Karma can be a wonderful thing

Anyway, one day I said to myself ‘Enough! it’s all about a positive mental attitude’. At school, I spoke to all the mums rather than skulking around the back because I was feeling anti-social (and hadn’t put a bra on again). I sent some text messages to people I love telling them that I adore them. I made an effort to smile at strangers. And whenever dark thoughts about builders or negligent nannies tried to edge their way in, I batted them off and kept that rictus grin on my face. Anyway, that very same day a lovely friend of mine said ‘I’m renting a cabin in the mountains and I’d like you to come’. And an hour a later a lady at the local flower shop gave me two huge bunches of red roses for free. ‘Ah ha!’ I thought, ‘this is karma. I’m attracting positive energy. Positive Mental Attitude wins again’. And we went on to have a lovely weekend in the mountains and all was glorious.

Monday bites me back

Then Monday strikes. The thing about PMA is that it requires serious effort. They say it takes more muscles to smile than to frown. For me, it definitely takes more effort to maintain a sunny disposition than to grump around. I’m afraid my default mode is grump.

The law of attraction

This morning I did the school run and realised that there are some people for whom default mode is definitely ray of sunshine. A few people who emit positive energy and for whom it seems easier to smile than to frown. These people attract others around them, honey to the bee. Their circle of bright cheery friends grows and so they are never lonely or without support and it all starts with a smile. I love these people and I want to be around these people. I can be your little dark storm cloud hovering on the horizon.

Hug the grinch, goddamit

This was on my mind when I went to the gym and the instructor greeted some people with effusive hugs. I wasn’t. ‘Why am I not hugged?’ I grumped. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ Then I thought deeply. I’m always moaning when I go to the gym. This hurts or that hurts. I need to take it easy. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to hug me either. Dark storm cloud indeed.

Lemonade or red wine

So it seems happiness does start with a smile. And a positive mental attitude does generate positive karma. But if you are a perpetual neg, how do you knock yourself out of it. I tried again today to be smiles and sunshine but its lunch time and already the toilet has exploded. two nannies who were coming for interviews haven’t turned up, my cats been sick on my bed and my eldest son had a meltdown in school. In response, these events are dragging the corner of my mouth down. My question is what do you do, sunny people when life gives you lemons? I generally say screw the lemonade and go straight to the red wine, which inevitably causes its own set of problems. How do you maintain a positive mental attitude when life seems an uphill struggle? Should I accept who I am? Middle-aged grump. Anti-social miser. Mother of dragons. Or should I try to be more like you? Walks off into the sunset to practice smiles and effusive hello’s to strangers.

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