Negativity is rampant in today’s world. Most watch the news and consider the stories we hear as the ‘norm’, are bombarded with stories online that give us no hope for humanity, haven’t dealt with painful personal situations and have an outlook that breeds more negativity.
We get sucked into gossip easily, can be hateful at times and are opinionated about others. We are hard on ourselves when we “fail”, lack self confidence, pick on our appearance and worry about what others think of us.
All of this contributes to personal pain, suffering, lack of joy and discouragement about life.
The great news this isn’t our true self. This isn’t who we really are.
None of this needs to be and living a life of true happiness, abundance, freedom and fulfillment is possible if these actions/beliefs are let go.
They need to be a part of our previous selves. They need to be learned from, accepted as our past and thanked for giving us an opportunity to grow and change.
The lessons below are a simple starters guide to shifting negative aspects of life that don’t contribute to happiness to allow more good, more freedom and more abundance in.
5 Ways to Shift Negative Thinking Today
TO SUCCEED BE…
To succeed be relentless in your ability to get back up when you fall.
We are trained to believe when something doesn’t go the way we thought it would, when something ‘bad’ happens, when our path is taken in a different direction we consider it a failure, a non-success, bad luck or an ended opportunity.
We have these terms and phrases that represent the situation as negative.
The kicker is that how we deal with anything in life is based on our perception of the situation. Focusing on using situations as opportunities for growth or opportunities to open our eyes to a ‘better/easier’ way gives us a positive spin that our psyche can support.
Getting back up from negative events is possible (and most of us have been doing it our entire lives) but getting back up from events that can be seen as positive is much easier.
Use your outlook on situations as a guide to ease your ability to get back up.
The point here is that ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ are relative terms but when we use them our view of the situation is set in stone. Positive doesn’t have to mean great, excellent, the way I wanted it to go or perfect. Positive can simply mean ‘contributing to my growth’ or ‘allowing me to be better and do better’ or ‘teaching me hands on coping lessons’.
TODAY IS YOUR DAY
Every day is an opportunity for positive change. Every moment is an opportunity for personal growth. Our mindset can change whenever we decide it should.
A simple change in mindset affects our personal growth and our personal growth influences the positive changes in our lives.
Anything can happen in just one day. Today is your day.
Initially I thought personal change and growth was a tough thing to accomplish. I thought it took years to master something and thousands of hours of practice.
At one point I actually thought it was a good thing not to change.
Then when I started listening to Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer and Michael Beckwith I became excited about change. Excited about the possibility of growing, shifting, learning from a situation I didn’t like the outcome of instantly.
It is inspiring to know that you can choose to participate in negativity. Negative thoughts are a choice. Negative conversations are a choice. You can choose in an instant not to be a part. Not to believe in them.
BET ON YOURSELF
Anything you put your positive intention into you can accomplish. Anything you believe is beyond your ability will always be beyond your ability. Your self-confidence rules your experience!
It is always a good time to bet on yourself.
The negative is also true. When you are hard on yourself, hypercritical and uncertain about your abilities your experiences will reflect it.
Self-confidence comes from knowing it is is all working out for your highest good. When you put love, energy and determination into your endeavors greatness will follow.
REFLECT ON WHY YOU STARTED
There will be highs and lows along the way but when times get tough the one thing that always brings me back to my path of highest potential is reflecting on the reasons why I started.
Don’t forget about your true motives for being healthy, eating clean, staying calm, sleeping well, exercising often, etc. Whatever they are for you. They will keep you on track.
When it comes to maintaining a positive, happy, energetic outlook reflecting on why you started is always helpful because it always comes from a positive place. Reflecting on your goals highlights all the positive reasons you have chosen a path.
LET GO OF THE PAST
Every moment is a chance to start again – “No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” – Buddha
Letting the past go is one of life’s biggest challenges. It is something most people have to consciously do to move on with anything positive and at the same time it is something we avoid. We tend to shove things down.
We ignore to try to forget.
We avoid feeling the emotion of the situation to save ourselves from possible pain.
To begin again is to accept the past for what it was, forgive the people, places and/or things and use this new moment in time as a stepping stone for change.
Often when we speak to past negative situations we conjure up emotions coincide with hate, annoyance and frustration. This changes the tone of our days, sets us up for more negative and prevents us from being 100% there with our loved ones.
To actively work through past situations means to speak about them, find a way to forgive, learn from personal mistakes and start fresh with a new mindset. That doesn’t mean we now look back on these memories as our favorite times of our past just because we forgave the situation. It means we are now free from the binding pull of negative energy they give us.
Being a positive person doesn’t mean you look at every situation as rainbows, unicorns and fairies. Life is a challenge. We go through difficult things.
Redefining the word ‘positive’ to include ‘growth opportunity’, to maintain faith in yourself, to practice self-love and to develop the tools to forgive past situations all can help when things seemingly fall apart.
Please share your personal techniques for avoiding negativity/staying connected in the comments below.
