I looked back in my journal and this is what I wrote about in the beginning of the month, standards. This one still holds true in my body: Positivity. What that means to me is choosing to contribute positive energy, to yourself, to the spaces you inhabit, to your body and your mind. The easiest way to witness it is to notice moments of self-correction. We are not in heaven. One cannot simply "be positive" all the time, and I have no interest in ignoring or bypassing what's wrong. We do have choices when we notice ourselves, for example, showing up with a stinky attitude. Some have a natural capacity to shift into what seems to be their default of a good mood, for others (myself included) it is a learned skill to re-route. I witness it in myself and others in that re-route, that choice to pause and change the flavor of the energy coming from you. Over the long term, I witness positivity in myself in the habits that I choose to cultivate. Am I actively doing things that I know will bring about a good mood in me? Am I using my wisdom to choose long term happiness? Am I backing my optimism up with taking steps to bring about the future I crave? Over the long term, there are a few people close to me who have consistently chosen positivity. This doesn't mean they aren't experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion, in fact, the habit of choosing positivity makes it easier for them to drop in and be rageful, sorrowful, regretful, so on. Two of the people who come to mind are on my accountability team. Another way I witness positivity in self and other is in how we choose to receive others, what we focus on when we listen actively and how we offer our responses. Especially if you're engaged in liberatory struggle, I have found it can feel nearly instinctual to listen for teachable moments, to act on the perk of your ears when they hear a problematic phrase. And we do all need moments of being taught. With what energy are we approaching correcting others? Is our judgement connected to our backbone, or is it just set to "shred"? I notice the value of positivity in myself when I choose to build rather than destroy. So, specifically, when I move more slowly and listen for what I can learn rather than what I can teach, what I agree with rather than what I disagree with, what I'm genuinely (NOT secretly ready to jump on and pick apart) curious.