The power of positivity

 It's been a pretty crazy, chaotic couple of weeks! I've been juggling lots both personally and professionally and trying to stay positive throughout it. I do have a habit of usually looking at the positive side of things - in fact my kids usually tell me that (my saying tends to be...but on the positive side ...) In fact I think I wrote that in a text message this morning. 


The power of positive thinking has been heavily researched throughout the last ten years. We know that positive thinking makes us happier, more successful and brings our anxiety levels down. We know that positive thinking changes the way that we approach our relationships and our workplace and we also know that through positive thinking we can turn things around for ourselves in numerous ways. We also know from the research that negative thoughts cause us to go into the fight or flight mode. Our breathing and heartbeats increase, our cortisol levels increase, our brains go into impulsive thinking patterns. We know that when we have a thought signals pass between neurons, and the more that we have the same thought the stronger the neuron pathway is built. This is why it is so hard to break away from negative thoughts. 

We also know that there is one person that we have the most conversations with...ourselves. We call this self talk. We are constantly talking to ourselves, building an internal narrative, telling ourselves stories about our lives. This is one way of our brain keeping us safe from the hidden dangers that we may face. 

However this inner voice can be our undoing - we're not good enough, we don't deserve this, we don't measure up etc etc. When things are great we worry that there must be a reason for it being great. However, all of these are only our thoughts - our stories. We think we know what others are thinking, or we build our own picture of what we think others are thinking...but in reality the thoughts we have are only ours and ours alone. 




So how do we stay positive and turn it around. Easier said than done, but it can be done. I've written a number of blogs throughout the year around things such as developing a Growth Mindset - which is all linked to the power of positivity. We know that positive self talk is one of the most powerful - what we tell ourselves, what we see or can imagine, what we can picture in our brains. 

But here a few other little tips that can assist you in order to develop more of positive thinking. 

1) Identify your strengths and expose your weaknesses. We need to make the most of the strengths we do have, we need to find those and we need to then harness them. How often do we stop and actually take some time to look at what our strengths are and how are we using them to build the best version of ourselves?  We need to also be vulnerable and expose our weaknessess - we need to accept them and then ask ourselves how we can work on them. If this weakness is a barrier to us improving ourselves or stopping us doing something we really want to then we have to work to fix it. And we have to work really hard at it. If it really important we will find a way to do this. 

2) Identify the negative environments and people in our lives if we have them. We need to learn to move away from environments and people that prove to us to be negative (or toxic is another way of looking at it). If you're not happy where you are or find the environment too negative get out. Take a break or move away. Socialise differently - choose differently. Cut ties if you have to. Sounds harsh but negativity only produces negativity. 

3) Be inspired by other positive people. Surround yourself with positive people. And this doesn't mean that I'm saying that positive people equal the person that is always happy go lucky or is always laughing - its the people that support you to be the best version of yourself. Its the people that bring out the best side of you in a positive way. 

4) Approach things with a positive mindset (or growth mindset). See things which may be taken as a negative stance as an opportunity, a challenge, an adventure! Every situation has a positive seed - you just need to find it. Put the work in - and you will see the positive. 

5) Small things make a difference - we are not trying to save the world, or change people around us. We just want to look at things in ways that they can help us be the best version of us. Use negative emotions and turn them into positive emotions. Think differently. Look differently. Each of us is responsible for how we see, and how we see determines what we see (John O'Donohue). Use this quote to think about what you see...

6) Actions have consequences. Take responsibility for your role in a negativity. What you say and do is a reflection of your attitude and who you are. 

Have a think about some of these things and look at things you are doing or not doing. 

How can you create the power of positivity in your life? 

Until next week. 

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