Positivity is defined as being optimistic or focusing on the good in any situation. When we hear that word, we often picture someone who’s always smiling, always confident, and always upbeat. But I think that idea of positivity is a bit misleading.
Positivity doesn’t mean being happy all the time. It doesn’t mean ignoring stress, disappointment, or failure. It certainly doesn’t mean pretending everything’s going well when it’s not. In fact, forcing positivity can sometimes make things worse.
For example, let’s say you’re losing 5 – 0 at half time in a football match: for the manager to say that you can still win the game and you’re playing at your best level isn’t helpful at all; its forcing positive thinking without taking any time to reflect on what’s happened. However, if the manager starts talking about what’s gone wrong and how the team can improve in the future, that’s a real way to be positive. Real positivity is something much quieter. It’s not about how you feel, it’s about what you do next. And that matters a lot in school life.
We all have days when motivation is low, lessons feel pointless, or everything just piles up at once. Positivity in school isn’t necessarily being excited for every lesson or loving every exam. It’s turning up even when you don’t feel like it. It’s revising after a bad test. It’s supporting a friend who’s struggling and finding ways to solve problems.
So maybe positivity isn’t always about being cheerful, maybe it’s about resilience, about choosing effort over excuses, kindness over criticism, and progress over perfection.
To end I thought I’d share a quote from Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter: “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
Archie Cowie
Senior Prefect