Surround Yourself with Positive People

A colleague at work has a plaque on his cube wall that says  "Surround Yourself with Positive People". Every time I pass around his cube, it grabs my attention and I am reminded of the wisdom of the thought.

Most of us know the benefits of a positive mindset very well and make sincere attempts to acquire one, however often it is the practical implementation that we trip over. This one liner holds a very important practical tip for developing a positive approach to life.

In the middle of scorching summer heat, a cool drink with Ice cubes floating in it provides us instant relief. Ever wondered what make an ice cube so cool? We learned in elementary science class that when ice comes in contact with any substance, it takes away heat from that substance, resulting in  cooling down effect. Positive people are also like Ice cubes. I am sure you have experienced interaction with people who leave you feeling calmer, happier, and less worried. This is exactly the Ice Cube Effect I am talking about. You would have also noticed that such people have a lot of friends, and most people like to be with them as it leaves them with a pleasant feeling.
Now imagine a can of Pepsi buried in Ice cubes. Very soon the coolness gets transferred to the soft drink. Similarly, the best way to acquire a positive mindset is to surround yourself with positive people. They will absorb your doubts and worries, and will rub some of their positive enthusiasm on you. Look for people around you who habitually see the brighter side of life; Hang around such people for long enough, and as you gradually experience a change coming to your own thought process, vividly imagine a Pepsi Can in the midst of Ice cubes, getting chilled.   

By reversing this logic, If someone who is somewhat negative, comes in touch with a positive person, will it not cause harm to the positive person? Well it depends upon the strength of positivity. A strongly positive person is unlikely to be adversely impacted by this encounter. The negative energy will be absorbed as latent heat in this case without melting the Ice cube.

So, try and surround yourself with positive people - the Ice cubes, and over time become such an Ice cube yourself, helping others chill.

You may ask, "This seems to be a lot of effort. Why do I have to go through this?". The answer is twofold:

• It is the simplest way to acquire a positive outlook - an essential life skill.
• There is a pleasant byproduct of this process. Once you reach that stage of being like an Ice cube, you will become popular and your friend circle will expand as others would start enjoying your company.