Positive Antennas

The View - Mar 25, 2022

My three children are all very different. My middle daughter is quite the pessimist. She tends to go straight to the worst-case scenario in situations. I remember once she was at the airport, about to fly to Perth with her Dad, and she phoned me and said, “I want you to know I love you”, and then said, “Just in case I never see you again”. At the other end of the spectrum, my son is a true optimist who sees the possibilities in every situation and always believes for the best. He often says to me, “It’ll work out Mum”. My youngest daughter is a realist, who sits in the middle between the other two. 

While we all naturally tend more towards one or the other, we can learn to be more optimistic in our outlook. On our Primary campus, we use a resiliency program called Bounce Back. Our students learn about ‘bright side thinking’, as opposed to ‘gloomy thinking’. They learn that bright side thinkers are ‘positive trackers’. Positive trackers seem to have a positive antenna on their head that is turned up to VERY HIGH and that constantly searches for:

  • The small good things that happen in their daily lives.
  • Their successes and the best things about their own character and behaviour.
  • The good bits, however small, in any bad things that happen to them.
  • Other people’s successes and the good things they say and do.

When they find these good things, they talk openly about them. This has a powerful effect on other people. This reminds me of a story in the Bible about Paul and Silas. They had been put in prison for sharing the Good News about Jesus. They had experienced something that had changed their lives, and they couldn’t help but tell others about it. These two people were positive trackers. They had been flogged, and were now in chains in prison, and yet they sat there singing and praising their God. The Bible recount tells us that the other prisoners were listening to them. Our optimism and positivity can be a powerful witness to those around us.

We all have both a positive and a negative antenna. We can practise turning our negative antenna down to LOW and our positive antenna up to VERY HIGH. Here are some suggestions:

  • At the end of each day think about at least three good things that happened.
  • Avoid badmouthing others (when they aren’t there) or putting them down.
  • Try not to grizzle, moan or groan when things don’t go your way.
  • Be less critical of yourself and others.
  • Look for all the things you do well, no matter how small.
  • Comment genuinely on the positive things about others.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer”. Psalm 19:14

Mrs Kelly Morton

Assistant Head of Primary