8 Ways To Spread Positivity In The Book Community

I know I'm not the only one who has notices the heavy fog of negativity that seems to be constantly looming over the book world (especially Twitter).

It's nobody's fault. The world isn't fostering a particularly loving atmosphere right now, life can seem dismal at times, and other people's decisions can be horrendous. That's just how it is.

But. There's good news.

There are little things that we can do to try to counteract all that ickiness. These are things I still struggle to keep in mind daily, but they really are great ways to spread a little cheer in our corner of the world. Here are 8 small, easy things you can do every day to brighten someone's day.

1) If something good happens to someone, congratulate them.
That's all there is to it. Whether you know the person or not, everybody likes their accomplishments being acknowledged and feeling like people really see the good in them.

2) If someone posts a picture of themselves, like it.
Nothing beats a little boost to the self-esteem. Even more, post a nice comment. You love their lipstick? Let them know! Are they wearing a cute shirt? I'm sure they'd love to hear all about it!

3) Comment something meaningful on people's blogs. 
Nothing makes me happier than when someone has really read my thoughts and my words and has a genuine reply. Even if they disagree, I love knowing they took the time to read what I had to say and really think about it enough to form a response.

4) If something bad happens to someone, let them know you're there for them.
Again, even if you've never talked to someone before, nobody gets upset about someone showing support and concern.

5) Share the good things that happened to you/people you know. 
It's always fun to hear cute or happy-making stories from other people. I love knowing that there is still good in this world.

6) Post fun/cute pictures.
Literally I can never ever see too many cat pictures in my timeline ever in my life. Seriously.

7) Retweet people's stuff. 
Whether it's someone asking a question or saying something funny or a link to a review they're proud of having written. Nobody ever gets upset about an RT either. It means a lot hen someone wants others to see something you've posted.

8) Never, ever forget to talk about the things you love. 
Passion is contagious. And it's lovely.

There are more things you can do. A whole slew of more. COUNTLESS more things you can do to make someone's day, but here are a few that I try to keep in mind.

Please, PLEASE remember that even the small things make a difference.

How do you like to spread positivity in the book community?

My Favorite Part Of The Book Community

This is a post I've wanted to write for several weeks, but I really wanted to take my time and put my heart into it, because you all deserve that. I've not had as much time for my blog as I'd like, so this (kind of) discussion got brushed under the rug.

However.

Every time I log on to Twitter, I see people talking about the drama in the community. I don't actually know what the drama is because I don't spend too much time on Twitter these days, and I don't have the energy to figure it out or worry about it. But I figured now was a good time to finally write this post, to give the community some positivity, and to remind all my bookish friends out there that we can--and should--celebrate our differences. 

MY FAVORITE PART OF THE BOOK COMMUNITY

I started blogging when I was 15. I didn't really know how it worked. I didn't know if I'd like it or if I'd be any good at it. I didn't know if I'd keep it up very long, and I didn't know if it would become important to me. All I knew is that I loved books, and I wanted to talk about books with other people who loved them as much as I did.

Now, here I am, five years (and countless books) later. Blogging has become so incredibly important to me. My blog(s) and I have grown together. We've been through a lot, but here I am, five years later. Blogging and I, we've had our ups and downs, but here I am, five years later. There have been times when I was an inconsistent and unreliable blogger. There were times when I thought I'd given up blogging for good, because as much as I love blogging, it's hard work and real life gets in the way of hobbies sometimes.

BUT HERE I AM, FIVE YEARS LATER.

I keep coming back, no matter what. And yes, part of it is because I like the creative aspect of it, part of it is because I like to stay tuned into the book industry. But the number one reason I can't stay away from book blogging is the community.

For the most part, the people in the book community are endlessly kind and funny and understanding. And it's a truly beautiful thing to know I can tweet about something a friend said to me that hurt my feelings and have my mentions flooded with uplifting words. The book community makes me feel important and it makes me feel like I have a place in this world, which is fantastic.

But, in my opinion, a big part of what makes that so fantastic is that there are hundreds of us (thousands of us?) who come from different backgrounds, different walks of life, who have faced different challenges, overcome different obstacles, have cried different tears and smiled different smiles, who are broken in different ways and whole in different ways, who have learned different things, who have seen different landscapes and held different hands.

We are all so different.

Yet here we are, connected, united. We are a community all because we love books.

Thanks to all of you lovely humans, I am privy to a plethora of different perspectives. I get to learn and grow and become more open-minded. I get to have conversations that I probably won't ever have with the people I know in real life. I get to strengthen and reevaluate my own ideals and learn more about the world I live in.

I will most likely never meet any of you face-to-face, and yet, you have all helped shape me and you have all helped me define myself.

And if thinking about that doesn't take your breath away a little, I'm not sure what will.