Embrace both positives and limitations is so important. Limiting characteristics, beliefs, thoughts, influences can hold us back. Embracing those too by understanding which are limiting and why they hold us back will help take back control. To Connect to Life, Others, Yourself.
Is it about being positive all the time?
Studying about positive psychology in the past, I always thought something was missing. I even started to feel a bit nauseous reading texts in which the authors emphasize to only focus on the positive and avoid the negative. You should surround yourself with positiveness and you will automatically become happy. At the same time, apparently, you should avoid confrontations and ditch people who disagree with you.
We are all unique individuals and what is good for me, isn’t always good for you and vice versa. Yes, we should dare to be our beautiful, unique and thus authentic selves.
Be You, who else can you be?!
That does not mean, we should be so independent (autonomous) to a point we distance ourselves from being fully interconnected with the world around us. It is in our nature to thrive better surrounded by other living creatures. However, encircling yourself with people who are positive all the time and live day-by-day is in my opinion not a healthy way of authentic living.
Which brings me back to positive psychology. Avoiding to live truly authentic by only focusing on the positives, I believe you try to avoid confrontations. Or you are afraid to fail, maybe even afraid of life itself. In addition, it is impossible to be constantly positive; we just are not happy campers all the time. Ignoring life is finite and we humans have limitations, is setting yourself up for a life full of frustration.
For instance, a disagreement can be very constructive. Help you reconsider and/or form your own ideas, or even confirm your feelings about a person and thus give you more clarity. Of course, when someone hurts you to your core and subsequently doesn’t allow you to be your beautiful unique self, I too would (try to) avoid such a person.
Embrace positives AND limitations
Accepting we aren’t all similar minded, embracing we all have our limitations can lead to a more realistic relationship. With people in and outside your inner-circle. With yourself. It is being more authentic and positive, then it may seem.
When you embrace all of you, your positives and your limitations, it will be easier to navigate through life, since, well… you don’t have to hide anything and no longer feel the need to suppress who you truly are:
