Week 11: Positively Present

I found the blog Positively Present, which I believe that it is important to share for many reasons. The writer of this blog, Dani DiPirro has set the goal of encouraging people to live a life of positivity no matter how difficult life can get sometimes. 

Within the post “On Toxic Positivity,” DiPirro addresses multiple comments that she received on an instagram post that said, “You can be sad, angry, upset, anxious, drained, overwhelmed, unsure, or afraid and still be positive.” All of these comments mentioned how this blog is considered toxic because if people pretend to be more positive than they actually are, it could cause more harm than good. However, DiPirro further explains herself by talking about the difference between happiness and positivity. She says that happiness should not be what you strive for out of life, something that I found a bit strange reading it at first, but as I read further I began to understand. Happiness is an emotions and should come to us naturally without being forced. DiPirro explains, “Happiness… is not accessible just because you want it. If something horrible has happened to you, you can't just be happy. You can, more often than not, be positive.” Positivity is a mindset that can be worked toward. By actively trying to create a positive outlook on life, people are given the perseverance needed to move forward, even in times of sadness.

I believe that this blog is mainly aimed at teenagers or people entering the early to mid stages of adulthood because quite a few of her posts start off with mentioning ideas that she had seen on social media. However, I also think that it has great appeal to any audience because the encouragement that DiPirro gives her readers is pretty universal. She does not force or deceive people into believing that being happy all of the time is the healthy route to a successful life. Instead, she is honest and authentic with her writing by admitting that there are moments in life that challenge us or push us to our limits, but having an optimistic mindset that things will improve can aid us through those moments. Having a positive outlook can be extremely difficult, especially in times that are weighed down by negative emotions. However, through her blog, DiPirro spreads optimism and hope by explaining the importance in self-love, confronting problems face-to-face, and living life in the present. 

Link to Positively Present:  https://www.positivelypresent.com