Positive Status: mode on
Is your glass half-empty or half-full?
Many times we underestimate the value of positive and optimistic thinking. Sometimes it could be taken as forced or not that realistic. Luckily, psychology has gathered tons of data which proves that one positive mindset makes a big difference and leads to achieving goals; it could help with stress management and can even improve your health.
How? Well, simply by expecting something specific to happen, you make it more probable. Sort of a prophecy.
Why? Because believing subconsciously adjusts your behaviour which could make your initial prediction become a reality.
For example: imagine you have a job interview..
Positive mind: you believe you’ll do great.
Behaviour: you feel confident and strong during the interview.
Result: you show all your potential and improve your chances to get the job.
However,
Negative mind: you believe it’ll go wrong.
Behaviour: you feel inhibited, unmotivated and anxious during the interview.
Results: you’re not able to show your full potential and it is less likely you’ll get the job.
Positive people believe that they have the chance to reach their goals, and they earn more confidence in their own skills every time they succeed and continue making their positive thinking stronger.
If a pessimist doesn’t get the job, as in the case of our example (and exactly as they thought it would happen), then every time they will have less confidence in their own skills, less confidence for the next interview and even less confidence to get the job. Every bad experience grows the negative beliefs.
We don’t have to let bad experiences stain one experience. Let’s try every time to see what’s good from it, what have we learnt? One way of getting into the “positive mode” is being thankful and to each night, review what was good from our day and be thankful for it.
Gratitude is one of the ways we have to train our brain in order to align it with the good. Whenever we express gratitude into something in life, we attract more of it into our lives.
It implies more than just enjoying the moment. It implies that we can enjoy meanwhile we are focused towards our goals. Enjoying what we have and motivating ourselves to go for what we want to achieve.
Action points to follow?
Be kind to yourself: practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else.
Surround yourself with positive people: make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback.
Check yourself: if you find that your thoughts are becoming negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.
And.. remember to be nice.
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” by John Wesley
