So here's the thing. A lot of people talk about having a positive attitude and the fact that you really need to do this in order to be successful in life. I'm not in disagreement. Believe me. I should know. I'm a positive blogger for crying out loud.But here's the thing. A lot of people think that having a positive attitude means that you're Pollyanish - a chirpy, always happy, glass-half-full-no-matter-what kind of person.

While that may be true, I think there's still a lot of misconceptions about it. Keeping in mind that I am not a psychologist (or a doctor of any type for that matter), I'd like to debunk some myths out there about positive attitudes.

1. Positive People Don't Get Hurt

Really? Then where do I sign up? Because I consider myself (in general) to be a positive person and I still get hurt. A lot. Positive people get hurt. It's a fact of life. But the thing that differentiates a positive person from someone who is not? What they do with that hurt. They don't take it on others (or at least try not to or feel bad when they do). They deal with it. Big difference.

2. All Positive People are Annoying

I can't do much of anything about the people who take their optimism to the extremes and rub everyone that they come across the wrong way. There are people like that out there. And sometimes they can hurt people with insensitivity. But here's the thing: if you're afraid of trying to be more positive because you think you'll be annoying, have no fear! There are ways to do it without driving people crazy (and yes, I feel another blog post coming on).

3. Positive People Have no Grip on Reality

I definitely consider myself an optimist. I'm also a realist. And yes, I'm sometimes conflicted in life. The key? Balance. (By the way, balance is more than that thing that you pass as you swing from one extreme to another.) Truly positive people can also keep their eyes on reality and not lose their positive perspective. It's totally possible. I'm living proof of it.

There are many more myths out there about positive attitudes and the people that have them. While there isn't time to debunk them all, it's important to keep in mind that a blog post won't change people's perspectives. So what will? Living examples. Go be one.

Photo Credit: APHOrism (Flickr)