Have you ever met those people that are constantly negative? You know, the people that no matter what you do, or what you say, they always seem to find a way to turn it around and prove to everyone that their problems are real. And huge. And unsolvable. Sure – we all have. On the flip side, I’m sure you’ve also encountered people that always seem to be happy and positive. Like they don’t have a care in the world. Everything in their world is just great. At one point or another, I’m sure we’ve all come across both types of people, and most likely been both types of people.
So why is it that some people seem to always be on “cloud 9” and others are negative Nancys? In all honesty, it’s not actually what is or is not happening to these people that is shaping their behavior. It’s the thoughts they have, or the thoughts they are telling themselves about their experiences. In fact, two people could go through the same situation, but have a completely opposite view of the experience based on their thoughts about the situation. Have you ever heard the saying, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right?” You may be asking, “How can that be true?” Let me explain.
It’s all in what you tell yourself
It’s true that your thoughts shape your reality. If you are always focused on the negative things in your life, then you will be in an eternally bad mood. Let’s say you have the thought, “I can’t do XYZ, I’m not good enough.” If that is what you are telling yourself, your brain will start to accept that as truth. It will start to find examples in your life to support that truth. You’ll only focus on what will make your thoughts true. You may even say things like, “See, that person is smarter than me, and that’s why they are more successful than I am.” That statement most likely isn’t even actually true, but that is what your brain is accepting as truth based on what you are telling it.
However, on the flip side, if the thoughts you have are positive, your brain will look for ways to support that truth. Let’s say there is a potential for a promotion at work that you feel you’ve earned. If you tell yourself “I deserve that promotion because of my hard work and dedication,” then your brain will support you and look for examples of your work ethic, proving that you, in fact, do deserve the promotion. You’ll remember times that you put in the extra effort to accomplish a work goal, or when you went above and beyond for a client.
How to have a positive mind
Now this is all well and good, but if it is actually true that our thoughts shape our reality (and it is), then what is it that we need to do in order to have a positive mind? See, it’s easy to be positive when things are going well in your life. You received a bonus at work, you got a call from a friend you hadn’t heard from in a while that made you smile, you lost a few pounds unexpectedly. All great things. The hard part is to be positive when things aren’t going so great.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way around this. It needs to be a on-going practice. Something you work at every day. It doesn’t need to be all-consuming, and it isn’t something you need to focus on all day long, but filling your mind with positive thoughts is something that you should take time to do each day. It may be only for a few minutes, but slowly, the more you do it, the more your mind will start to shift and begin to show you how wonderful your life really is.
It’s all about what we tell ourselves, so tell yourself something awesome!
Want to find out how to start your day on a positive note (in just 2 minutes)? Check out my post, “How to change your life in just two minutes a day.”
1 thought on “The Power of a Positive Mindset”