What is Positive Thinking?

Positive thinking is a mental attitude in which you expect good and favorable results. In other words, of positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts that create and transform energy into reality. A positive mind waits for happiness, health and a happy ending in any situation. Many people become attracted to this notion; good evidence is the increasingly courses and books about it. Positive thinking is gaining popularity among us today.

Many and more successful people will tell you that they got where they are now because they made a lifestyle around positive thinking. A person that faces life with a positive attitude will always be more successful in life both professionally and personally, than a person that cannot take control of his thoughts. It is increasingly common to hear people say: “Think positive” to a person which is sad and worried. Unfortunately, many people do not take seriously this urge. How many people do you know that sit-down and reflect on positive thinking.

Benefits of positive thinking:

• It reduces daily stress
• It will let you have a better health
• Is also a strong confidence
• It will give you long life
• You will live a happier life
• It will let you have better management of important decisions

 

How you can apply positive thinking

Imposing a positive thinking can be the best, thinking positive will also attract positive things into your life. You can change the negative level of thinking and make the best decision for yourself.

Use positive words when talking.

If you constantly say “I cannot” you could convince yourself, and replace positive words with negative ones. You can do everything possible to have a happy relationship, also do everything possible to have a brilliant career and stay in shape.

Remove all the feelings that are not positive

Do not let negative thoughts and feelings conquer when you have a bad mood. Even if for a few hours a day, remove negativity and focus on the positive things in your life.

Use words that evoke strength and success.

Fill your thoughts with words that make you feel strong, happy, having control over your life. Make an effort to focus on these words rather than the ones that suggest failure or incompetence.

Practice positive affirmations.

One of the most common exercises for a positive thinking is positive affirmation. What does that mean? Start repeating a positive phrase like “I deserve to be happy” or “I deserve to be loved.” Believing that these statements are true and repeating them always will impose a more positive opinion about your life.

Redirect your thoughts

This method used by psychotherapists helps you control your thoughts when you start to feel negative emotions like depression or anxiety. When you feel such emotion taking hold on you, start generating a happy mind, a positive thinking, something that makes you feel better to keep your negative feelings under control.

Start thinking you will succeed

Nothing compares with self confidence that creates a successful reality. Put your doubts aside and believe that you will succeed in meeting the objectives.

 Analyze what went wrong.

Positive thinking is not about denying that nothing can go wrong. Instead take the time to see what went wrong and what led to the current situation in order to avoid future mistakes. Don’t always argue for things that will not change anything.

See failure as an opportunity.

Sometimes the most negative things in our lives give us opportunities that we wouldn’t have seen. For example losing your job can be a good opportunity to open your own business or go back to school.

Vision

Visualizing what you want to achieve, or the kind of person you want to become, can also be a great motivation, to take you there and make you think more positively about the distance that you have until the destination.

Focus

By focusing on being consistent with my morning ritual I have built up momentum and trained myself to have a positive mindset. I have kept a positive journal since April 2013 but a few things have compounded my positive outlook on life and I know these things to be true. After attending a Tony Robbins seminar in January he gave me the gift of 3 techniques that take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. I like them so much that I usually spend about 30 minutes completing the techniques. I believe the term Tony uses is called Priming (below are the techniques). I have done them without fail consistently since January the 8th and they took me to the next level of having a positive mindset. I then added one more to the list and my mood went from feeling good to feeling incredible, feeling so good some days I wanted to cry with sheer joy.

• Thing that makes life goes more smoothly when you have a positive state of mind:
• Think about 10 things that were positive that happen yesterday
• Think about 10 things you are grateful for
• Visualized 5 things you want to bring into your life
• Think about a time you really laughed and think back to every moment of that feeling
• Cycle to work after dropping my son to crèche
• First thing I do once I get into work is write down 3 positive things that happened the day before

Shake everyone’s hand in the office.

We all have bad days when we feel down and out. We get discouraged and frustrated and start to focus on problems and what’s going wrong. That is why having ways to elevate our state of mind is so valuable. When we notice ourselves getting negative, we can have a plan to shift our state of mind.

Strategies for elevating your positive state

The strategies for elevating your positive state is by making time for emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs each day. Then realize how important small daily actions are to your overall health, happiness, and productivity. It helps you get a more stable rhythm in life and understand nourishing yourself is these different areas, which will allow you to approach life from a more whole and powerful state of mind. Ultimately if you are willing to nourish each of these life domains you can live with greater purpose and passion, and will always be a better person all the way around.

These are things to merge into your life to help you elevate your positive state.

Start getting spiritual

What do you do to nourish your soul each day? I believe that we all need some form of spirituality to stay inspired and resilient, on a daily basis take some time to feed your spirit. This may be through meditation, yoga, prayer, or some other form of spiritual practice. Do whatever fits your system. Take just 10-15 minutes to nourish your spirituality.

Write a gratitude list

Cultivating positive emotions is the best way to build immunity to a bad mood. Gratitude is one just emotion to start cultivating but it’s a powerful one. A gratitude practice such as writing a gratitude list each day or writing a gratitude letter can help keep you in a positive state of mind. It makes you give thanks for the day ahead of you.

Filled your mind with positive messages

From the moment you wake up in the morning, think about what ideas your filling your mind with. Many people wake up watching the news and filling their head with stories or tragedy and fear, how would your life change if you started reading a daily devotional or inspiring article, another thing I do when I’m driving in my car is listen to uplifting audio books. 

Surround yourself with supportive people

We don’t always notice how contagious other peoples’ emotions are. If we are around negative, discouraging people it will eventually rub off on us. Find supportive and encouraging people that you can interact with as often as possible. It may not be every day that you interact or talk with these people, though hopefully it is, but if you have someone that can offer you support when things aren’t going well, you will have a greater chance of staying positive.

Stay Active

Take care of your physical health has more influence on your mental health. If there is one habit that improves your mood and enhances your overall health and wellness it’s exercise. It enhances our cognition, slows cellular aging, and serves as a natural antidepressant. So, if you want to be at your best, exercise is a must.

Things that are guarantee to put you in a good mood

Exercise 30 minutes after getting up for a minimum of 20 minutes and you will have endorphins kicking in till 12pm

Exercise with loud music you like and you will feel even better

Dance to your favorite’s song (I’m a bad dancer so this itself is a funny thing) afterwards and you will feel amazing

Perform a nice deed for someone every day expecting nothing in return – GAME CHANGER

Think about a sliding doors moment where something really positive happened to you purely by chance and the positive consequences that occurred because of it. 

Follow these steps and have a good mood.

Feel good

The number one tip experts give for changing your mood is to exercise. Choose something you enjoy doing, yoga, walking, rollerblading, or a dance video workout, a short and fast workout can relieve stress and release feel-good endorphins. Think of your athletic shoes as happy shoes.

Choose healthy food. 

Small healthy snacks throughout the day keep your body satisfied. Eat less white rice, pasta, bread, sugar and potatoes. Incorporate grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds in your diet.

Speak the truth. 

You’ll feel authentic, heard, and confident. Withholding what you think can cause feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

Make memories.

Spend your money on experiences. Sign up for a painting class; go to the museum, or a concert. Experiences create wonderful memories.

Get in nature.

Go to the big room with the blue ceiling and green floor. Take a walk in the woods or watch a sunrise. Sitting outside for five minutes a day is enough to feel good and change your mood.

Touch

Physical affection is powerful. Give and receive a kiss, a hug, a pat on the back, a touch on an arm or go for a massage. Touch is transformational. Warm fuzziest can feel good. 

Stop procrastinating.

The anxiety you feel about a chore is worse than the actual chore itself. Get rid of dread and do what’s on your list: wash your car, make a phone call, and cancel a date.

Always be kind.

Look for a way to compliment someone. Anticipate and meet the needs of the people around you. When you bring happiness to others you also bring it to yourself. The smallest act of caring can cause a mini-bliss explosion.

Look for good.

Look for what’s good in your life. Look for reasons to be thankful. Focus on the positive. You can’t be unhappy and be positive at the same time, go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Creating a routine and getting seven hours of sleep will allow you to wake up on the bright side.

Always Smile

Smiling makes you happy even when you’re feeling sad. Smile at yourself in the mirror. Smile at the people you love and even the ones you don’t. We underestimate the transforming power of a smile.

Listen to music

There’s not much a great song won’t cure. Runners listen to their iPods while running marathons because it’s less painful.

Wear stuff that fits.

Shoes and clothes that are too tight create pain. Don’t sacrifice your health to look hip.

Love

Dwell on love. Feel love. Send love to people in trouble or in pain. Send loving thoughts to your family and friends. Speak lovingly and take loving action.

Get yourself into a positive mindset

If I want to supercharge the morning then think about a time when you were in a great mood and reenact how you felt at the time, for example when Robbie Brady scored a goal at the Euros. I jumped up and down the house and screamed with joy, (what made this even better was my two infant sons copied my behavior), when I want to get back into that state I do the same actions.

We often hear people being described as positive or negative. However, the truth is that a positive attitude is a choice, not an innate trait. You have the power to change your mindset, and committing to this change can lead you to a happier, more successful life. Simply behaving like a positive person can shape your attitude and slowly change the way you see the world. For example, studies repeatedly show that forcing a smile can actually lift your mood and that acting like a confident person.

Also start to transform your self-esteem. Smile at strangers as you pass them on the street, try to eliminate negative adjectives from your vocabulary, carry yourself like you are having a wonderful day, and invite friendliness by engaging in conversation with others. At home, try to surround yourself with positive images and motivational objects that make you feel content or inspired.                             

Effective Communication

Listening is the key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood, communication will breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.

Communication is so important that many top employers provide listening skills training for their employees.  This is not surprising when you consider that good listening skills can lead to: better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes, increased sharing of information that in turn can lead to more creative and innovative work. Many successful leaders and entrepreneurs credit their success to effective listening skills. Richard Branson frequently quotes listening as one of the main factors behind the success of Virgin. Effective listening is a skill that underpins all positive human relationships, spend some time thinking about and developing your listening skills – they are the building blocks of success. 

Good communication skills also have benefits in our personal lives,

A greater number of friends and social networks, improved self-esteem and confidence, higher grades at school and in academic work and even better health and general well-being. Studies have shown that, whereas speaking raises blood pressure, attentive listening can bring it down.

Listening is not the same as Hearing

Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that: it requires focus.  Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages. Your ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and understand these messages. The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to communicate. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention.

Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress

Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health.

Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided.

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic — and it may even affect your health.

Indeed, some studies show that personality traits like optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being. The positive thinking that typically comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management. And effective stress management is associated with many health benefits. If you tend to be pessimistic, don’t despair — you can learn positive thinking skills.

Understanding positive thinking and self-talk

Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life’s less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.

If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.

The health benefits of positive thinking

Explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. It’s also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess.

Think on happy things even in negative circumstances.

We all face negative situations in our life. Someone may say something bad about you, or something you’ve worked hard on is rejected.

In situations like this it is difficult to keep a positive attitude. However we’re judged by our communications so staying positive is the professional way to react to adverse situations.

Your natural inclination is to release your inner Hulk and bash. This negative reaction will make the circumstances worse and you will end up filled with disappointment and anger.

You can beat negative situations by keeping a positive attitude. The attitude you take when faced with a negative situation is a choice. In the business world keeping a positive attitude in negative circumstances is a valuable skill to learn. It will keep your professional reputation intact and show you can handle any negative situation.

Things that will Help You Stay Positive

The best way to overcome a negative situation is by keeping a positive attitude. It is not easy and requires discipline on your part, but you can do it. At first you may not succeed every time so consider it a training program. Eventually you will learn to control your reactions out of habit.

Control Your Response

The golden rule of staying positive in a negative situation is to control your response. Take a deep breath, count to 10, do whatever it takes to remove yourself from the negativity. Wait until you calm down and have thought clearly about your response.

If you respond out of emotion you will only make it worse. Remember Thumper’s rule. “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.” This is good advice when you find yourself in a negative situation.

Negative situations compound when they cause you stress. Learn how to deal with stress to remove the extra negativity.

Learn From Negative Situations

Look at a negative situation or event as an opportunity to learn and grow personally. Albert Einstein said “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Don’t channel your energy into a negative reaction, but into something positive that will make the situation better, not worse.

If you do react negatively take note of it and the circumstances that caused it. Learn from it by identifying the triggers that caused your reaction so you can watch for them in the future. Train yourself so you control the situation instead of allowing the situation to control your actions.

If You Make a Mistake, Admit it

We are human so we all make mistakes from time to time. When you do you need to step up and admit it. One thing I told my boss a long time ago was that if I ever made a mistake he would hear it from me first. If you make a mistake that leads to a negative situation, admit to it, learn from it and move on.

Maintain a Positive View

Don’t allow your opinion of someone to become jaded by a negative situation. Keep a positive view about a person or a situation and don’t jump to conclusions. Be proactive in dealing with adverse circumstances, not reactive. If the negativity is true see rule # 3. If not then affirm what you already know about yourself and your work.

When you are working under pressure it is hard to keep a positive attitude, but for a manager often pressure is part of the job. Learning how to work under pressure will help you overcome a source of negative situations.

Accentuate the Positive

You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
don’t mess with Mister In-Between

Think About This Thing

• Emphasize your positive attitude by your actions and in your words.
• Eliminate any negative thoughts generated from a negative situation. Nothing good is gained from a negative reaction.
• Affirm the positive truths you know to be true about yourself and your work.
• Don’t flip-flop between positive and negative. When negativity comes to you remove yourself from the situation, flip to the positive side and stay there.

Life will continually present you with negative situations. You choose how you react to them. Rather than waste energy and your reputation by reacting negatively, learn to turn a negative situation into a positive. Don’t let the actions of others or circumstances turn you to the dark side of the workforce.

Keeping a positive attitude in a negative situation is hard, but if you work at it you will learn to overcome your emotional reactions. Doing so will enhance your professional appearance and show that even under negative circumstances you can maintain control and deal with any issue in a positive way.