PMA

= Positive Mental Attitude

Until Chico came on the scene I didn't even know that it had a name!

Years ago (in my 30s) someone told me that the road to happiness was to 'label positively'. It didn't mean anything to me at all but she taught me that every downside had an upside so if I said about myself 'I am so impatient' she would say 'yeah but that means you always get things done quickly'. Which is totally true!

She was applying some PMA, I know now :-)

It took a LONG while before I grasped the concept. It took a psychotherapist and then a relationship with a pseudopsychotherapist to get to a point of thinking that negativity certainly didn't get me anywhere except keeping me in confusing turmoil.

But when I finally did, people started calling me 'Pollyanna', compared me to a Labrador. Both of these labels were definitely not meant positively I tell you that!

(Aside... have you ever watched the film 'Pollyanna' which is about a girl who can always see the upside of things like when someone breaks their legs and can't get out of bed she would say 'but you can still sit here and look out of the window and see the sun shine' Hmm......)

Oprah (I am a BIG Oprah fan.. she does psycho babble in a nice way I think) told the world to start a 'gratitude journal' in which you had to write 5 positive things a day. Like.. I am grateful for the fact I am healthy, the sun shone today, my replacement laptop didn't break, dancing on ice is on and the hot cross buns were really nice.

Well.. I am not very good at journaling but it didn't leave my mind and in bed at night I sort of got into the habit of going through my day thinking of all the good bits that happened thus ignoring the negative bits.

I have, without realising this, developed this into a fine art.

*IF* ever anything negative happens I am SO quick to immediately think of the positive that I am sure that to some people who do not apply PMA in a fracture of second I must be SO irritating!

It has changed my life though, it is remarkable what happens if you concentrate on the positive and let the negative 'get a life'. Without watering it the negative seems to wither away and die.

So.. is happiness a way of thinking?

Discuss :-)