SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - Good vibes are being spread in Ocean Beach and across the country. They are coming in the form of positive messages printed out on paper and stapled to poles around a community and photos being shared on Instagram.
It’s called the Positive Propaganda People movement. Some of the messages include: “you look fabulous,” “you are powerful,” and “good job getting out of bed today.”
“We all have those moments where we are having a crappy day or things are not really working out, but one thing happens to you, a song comes on or someone sends you a text message, and it’s the right thing you need to hear at the right moment and your whole day changes,” said Roberto Casanueva, the creator of Positive Propaganda People.
One of those moments was when OB resident Lauren Powell, training for a Spartan Beast Race, was about to give up on uphill run.
“I had all this negative self-talk about ‘you're not going to be able to do it,’ ‘you're not going to be able to do it,’ and I look up and there is this sign that says, ‘nothing is impossible go for it,’” said Powell. “At that point, I just kind of switched on and I got those last few miles in.”
Like Powell, people in Portland, Austin and Tempe have shared their appreciation for the #positivepropaganda online not knowing a real person was behind the movement sharing and reposting their gratitude.
“It's a like a personal practice of selflessness,” said Casanueva, who is a project manager at a tech company.
Casanueva was born in Chile and has lived across the United States and started Positive Propaganda two and half years ago in Portland and now lives over the hill from Ocean Beach in Point Loma.
“There are other people out there doing the exact same thing and I find them and they find me and we are like whoa do gooders, we can have positive effects on people's lives,” explained Casanueva.
Casanueva is going to the United Nations next week in New York to support women’s rights.