# Distinguishing Positivity & Negativity

## Practice Visual

<img src="https://2476744396-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FFtfcR0gXrnJrT6J9QcUt%2Fuploads%2FP79LeO4C7ckTUv2s10LQ%2Ffile.excalidraw.svg?alt=media&#x26;token=c92d00a1-9348-40b8-a8d3-cbb34216b991" alt="" class="gitbook-drawing">

## Overview

<table><thead><tr><th width="177"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>What</strong></td><td><strong>Virtues</strong><br>Habits that are based on and strengthened by softness and in harmony with your values <br><br><strong>Vice</strong><br>Habits that are based on non-softness and weakened by softness, and in disharmony with your values</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Benefits</strong></td><td>Ability to Distinguish Virtue &#x26; Vice</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Instructions</strong></td><td><ol><li>Notice or Activate a Habit</li><li>Soften into the habit</li><li><p>Curiosity</p><ol><li>Strengthens: Virtue </li><li>Weakens: Vice </li></ol></li></ol></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Daily Life</strong></td><td><p>Be Curious what happens when you soften into a habit. </p><ul><li>Does it weaken or strengthen?  </li><li>Is the habit that weakens/strengthens beneficial or disadvantageous for my values?</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Consider</strong></td><td><p><strong>Distinguishing between Constructive Effort &#x26; Excessive Effort</strong></p><ul><li><p>Some virtues might partially weaken as they are based on constructive effort as softening is able to release all effort - constructive &#x26; excessive.</p><ul><li>External: Thinking about what is most beneficial to say in a conversation</li><li>Internal: Curiosity towards noticing the benefit in letting go of effort</li></ul></li><li>Constructive effort is that which leads to less effort in the future and/or progress towards your values </li></ul><p><strong>Simmering > Impatience</strong></p><ul><li>You cannot force the activation or deactivation of habits</li><li>You do can create conducive conditions to increase the likelihood of activation or deactivation</li><li>Create the conducive conditions and allow it to simmer </li><li><p>e.g., Softening into Frustration</p><ul><li>Notice the excessive effort underlying</li><li>Notice how uncomfortable it feels</li><li>Release the effort underlying with some softening breaths</li><li>You may or may not notice the weakening or complete deactivating of the frustration</li><li>Notice how pleasant and preferable it feels to let go of effort</li><li>Allow it to simmer</li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>Accelerate via Enchantment &#x26; Disenchantment</strong></p><ul><li>Soften into i.e., releasing the excessive effort is effective in weakening any vice</li><li>Softening into a virtue is effective in strengthening it</li><li>However, creating a perception shift within your mind of understanding the benefit of virtues and the disadvantage of vice will accelerate the habit change due to 'parts of the mind' supporting it</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Progress</strong></td><td>Ability to Distinguish Habits into Virtues or Vice</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Acknowledgement</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.midlmeditation.com">MIDL</a></td></tr></tbody></table>