The Problem With Toxic Positivity
I have been researching this weird topic called “toxic positivity” lately, and spoke about it on some Live vids recently.
First off, I should say that it seems people want to try to make a name for themselves by taking an opposite point of view on everything, and that it’ll make you sound extra smart if you call that topic “toxic”.
Heck, if you want to gain some fame & notoriety & money for yourself by being against popular things, go ahead. But I think we’re all starting to get wise to the strategy….
It seems to me that the main message of “toxic positivity” is that life is hard for people, and not everyone wants to be given encouraging support or kind words. They want to be listened to rather than solve their problems, because feeling understood is cathartic and fulfilling.
But to me, that still leaves you with an unsolved problem , and unless you believe that you can make your life better, some people will give up and do nothing…or do less than they’re capable of doing.
I think many people believe they have learned everything there is to learn. But do you think a person with an MBA tackles problems in the same way a high school graduate does?
Do you think a VP or a CEO of a company strategizes the same way someone with an associates degree does? Nope.
There are vast, UNTOLD volumes of information you & I don’t have in our personal libraries. If you don’t believe there is a solution to your problem, are you going to keep trying? If you don’t believe that there are concepts, ideas, and methodologies that could solve your biggest issues, you’re wrong.
I’ve read marketing books, magazines, blogs, and forums for 22 years. Last year I bought a marketing book that was filled with life-changing material I had never once come across in all those years. I couldn’t have fathomed those concepts existed previously.
So be open. You MUST believe that there are people out there who know things that you cannot even begin to imagine. There are experts in your area of interest who are light years beyond you.
You don’t know everything.
And once you open yourself up to that possibility…
…you also open up the chance of finding solutions to problems you thought could not be solved.
Embracing the concept of toxic positivity & being satisfied with only *getting your feelings understood* will never get you answers to questions that you didn’t even know existed.
Originally published at https://www.motivational.net on December 30, 2019.
