In my last Live, I talked about the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset
Negativity can discourage us, add to our stress, put strain on our relationships, make us less productive, and reduce our overall happiness.
Positivity on the other hand has many benefits across our lives in terms of our health, relationships, careers, and our overall happiness.
But how do you develop that growth mindset and become more positive?
Is it really that simple?
Here are five simple ways to help you to develop a more positive mindset:
1 – Keep a thought journal
If you have a negative internal dialogue constantly keeping you down, you need to take action to banish these thoughts.
If you have difficulty identifying this negativity within your own mind, a simple first action can be keeping a thought journal.
Write down a random sample of thoughts you say in your own mind about yourself, events, people around you and other things that happen throughout your day.
Then analyze these thoughts by reading the journal every night and establishing your thought patterns.
Do certain events trigger your negative thoughts?
Take note of these and the next time you are faced with a similar triggering situation, think more carefully about how you are approaching it.
2 – Banish negative self-talk
After keeping track of your thoughts for a week or two, you will soon notice how consuming your negative thoughts potentially are.
The next step is to banish these all together.
Next time you go to write down a negative thought in your thought journal, try to rephrase it to that it becomes a neutral statement.
For example, “Richard forgot to take out the trash again so I had to do it and it ruined my evening” could become “Richard forgot to take out the trash. I did it.”
Of course, this isn’t actually true in my life. Richard is very dependable about the trash! 🙂
But this is a small but effective way to train yourself.
Don’t just do this exercise on paper in your journal; begin to rephrase your negative thoughts into neutral ones in your mind.
3 – See the positive side
It can be incredibly challenging for many people to jump straight from negative thoughts into positive ones, which is why that neutral-thought stage is so crucial.
When you banish your negative self-talk, you are now in a great position to genuinely see the positives, in different situations.
Refer back to your thought journal and particularly examine the negative thoughts you have had.
Putting aside all of the things you so obviously dislike about that thing, try to think of at least one positive.
For example, if you dislike your boss because they speak badly to you, think about the way that you are actually developing more resilience and ‘thicker skin’ by being in that situation, which is a positive result from a bad situation.
So, yeah, it might not be the best scenario. But it is looking at the bright side and finding something good.
It can be hard to find benefits within challenging circumstances, but there is always a way to see something good.
As the Dalai Lama once famously said, “See the positive side, the potential, and make an effort.”
Sometimes a lot of effort might be required, but it’s worth it!
4 – Celebrate small wins
Sometimes, it can be hard to maintain a positive mindset because we think we are not doing enough.
That is not true in any way.
You are doing a whole lot of things and you can acknowledge this by simply celebrating little wins.
Did you squash your morning exercise routine?
Did you cross off an important task from your task list?
Did you make that phone call that you were terrified to make?
Maybe you went Live on Facebook for the first time?
It’s time to celebrate the small win.
A win is a win and when you celebrate it, you put some positivity into your mind.
5 – Keep a gratitude journal
A gratitude journal is an incredible way to take stock of all of the wonderful things around you.
Every evening, write down all of the things in your day, and life more generally, that you are grateful for.
Perhaps you are grateful to your friends for their support, for the warm bed you are able to sleep in, or for the great weather you had that day.
Write it all down.
If someone gives you a compliment that you appreciated on any particular day or said something very thoughtful, write it down in your gratitude journal too.
I have a gratitude box. I got it a long time ago, I think at Michaels.
But I add things to it that were powerful to me… Recognition I received, special cards I received from people… I even print off screen shots of Facebook posts or comments that were really special.
Then when you find yourself being negative or critical, open up the journal or the box and read over all of the positive things in your life that make you feel grateful.
This is a sure-fire way to re-ground you, make you gain perspective and make you realize how insignificant that particular trigger may be in the larger scheme of things.
Context is important, so keep shifting your mind towards the positive.
Stay grateful.
You’ve Got This
Practicing these five simple thoughts can help you to transform the way that you perceive the world around you.
Positive perception has the power to change your life, improving your attitudes and the ways that you respond to stress triggers.
When you’re coming from a more positive or growth mindset, your mind is open to see what it didn’t even notice before.
All kinds of opportunities are out there for you to have the life you want.
They come your way every day.
When your mind is open, you’re much more likely to see those opportunities and take action on them.
Be patient and keep working at positivity, as it has so many benefits for your life, so make the most of it!
Now I’d Love to Hear from You
How about you?
What do you do to develop a more positive mindset?
What works for you?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
I would love to hear your stories.
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