Welcome to Positively Lit! This positivity blog has been a dream of mine for many years, and I’m excited to cultivate, learn and grow. And I’m happy you’re here, too! I recently celebrated my 2nd anniversary with owning my domain, and I’m slowly moving along. I’ve been in a season of hard core trying to better myself, and this website helps me process in so many ways, and if I can impact just one person to have a more positive approach to life, then I’ll consider this a success.
This website is NOT about promoting myself, it’s about promoting the positivity that the world needs. The words and feelings I express are in no way unique only to me, they’re really all about the human experience. I truly believe there’s light in each of us, it’s a matter of bringing it out. I want to share the light that I’ve been gifted with, and encouragement and love, for all, because we ALL matter.
I love sunrises, sunsets, and capturing random sunbeams, because they speak fresh life to me, and new beginnings. The sunrise begins the day, the sunset clears the day, and those random sunbeams are reminders to keep focused on the light. The sun rising and setting each day never fails, even on cloudy, rainy, stormy, snowy days, what a great reminder that we can keep the positive frame of mind around, even when we go through not so sunny times.
I speak positivity, because I used to be negative. While I still embrace sarcasm, I now use it as a way to keep my brain flowing, or for humor purposes because I’m not really funny (I have one friend that thinks I’m hilarious, so do I really need anyone else?). Before, I used sarcasm for passive aggressive purposes, and to guilt — not the best use of words, right? Anyhow, I had an experience in my late twenties that jump started my turn around to the light. I’ve always had a kind heart, but it was hidden under a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms. My intention behind positivity is to encourage those that think like me, but also those that might feel trapped (even unknowingly) in a negative cycle and they just don’t know where to begin. Life is H A R D, friends. Hard. There’s always a lesson, even when we think we’ve learned all the lessons. It stinks, but in a way, would we really have it any other way?
So back to who I am, what I’m about …. in a nutshell, I’m a lover of peace. I’m an Enneagram 9 (peacemaker), ISFJ (defender, plus a T for turbulent, which basically nails my thought process) and an empath. I feel and absorb energy, so I have to guard myself, otherwise energy vampires drain my light, and I’m left with a flimsy shell that all too quickly sets back into people pleasing, “I’m sorry”, and the general woe-is-me attitude that is NOT healthy! Writing is my passion, so when I have the chance to write out my feels, it’s a step towards healing that energy and bringing me back to present. Loud noises are a trigger, along with late evenings (I’m a morning person, too, #SorryNotSorry) so you’ll often find me seeking moments of quiet and solitude as I recharge. The woods, streams and mountains are healing; cities, crowds and bustling activity wears me out quickly, so does conflict. A lot of the time I write about ways to ground or quiet your brain, and 9 times out of 10 it’s because I need what I’m writing at the moment.
When I was younger, my dream job was in a big city writing for a newspaper, or magazine, or even writing novels. Obviously, that wasn’t in the cards, but I’m grateful every day to be a mom to two amazing kiddos, living in a beautiful smaller city, with the only writing involved being private journals or this blog. I have a strong desire to share positivity, and use my voice to bring awareness to the struggles of life. While I’m an introvert, I’m also an open book and might overshare, but I always think “someone else is going through this, or needs to hear this struggle”. I perch precariously on the edge of imposter syndrome, and usually feel like praise or compliments aren’t sincere, because I’m just not good enough for any of that (let’s throw in perfectionism to that mix, too, shall we?). I’ve struggled with anxiety for much of my adult life, not earth shattering or uncommon anymore, but I still think it’s important to normalize mental health matters and end the stigma attached — seeking help is OK, what’s not OK is getting to that dark zone of struggle and truly not knowing if you can pull yourself back up. That’s one of the reasons I’m quite open about my personal struggles (and you should be, too, it helps to talk these things out). So I might not ever have my words published (other than by hitting “publish” on WordPress), but I will use my words for GOOD as often as I can. I hope this helps you understand where I come from when writing and sharing, and I’m so glad you’re here for this journey!