Being Positive

Being Positive: What you can do today to stop negativity in its tracks

Often our goals aren’t achieved, simply because we believe they can’t be.
Remember Roger Bannister? He successfully ran a mile in under four minutes; it was the first time it had ever been done. Bannister was told it was impossible, yet he continued with his dream.
Since then, thousands have run the mile in under four minutes. In fact, the new record sits at 17 seconds lower than Bannister’s time. This is not because over the last 50 years we, as human beings, have developed dramatically through Darwin’s theory of evolution. It’s purely because once Bannister had achieved it, every other runner’s mind-set switched.

A simple switch with dramatic changes.

Being positive can instigate real change in your life and have long-lasting effects. Being positive can help you achieve goals that you previously thought impossible. Often it’s the mental barriers that we put in place that stop us achieving these goals, dreams or desires; not an outside source. By breaking these barriers down, you will find that your life can change in huge ways.

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‘Being positive’ is a concept that often takes a back-seat in modern society behind other desires such as power, wealth and respect; but it is positivity which allows us to build up the confidence and ability to achieve our desires and ultimately live the life we wish. For Bannister, it was running the mile in under four minutes. What about you?
Do you have a goal that you want to achieve? Being positive is essential if you want to achieve it. You need to stop negativity in its tracks.
The good news is that you can control the way your thought process works. You can turn negative thoughts into positive ones. It requires time and effort but it’s worth it. You already know how being positive can have a dramatic effect on your life.
So how can you start to break your negative thought habit? Let’s start with the small stuff. You may have heard the saying “don’t sweat the small stuff”. I say this to myself every day. It’s so true.

Let’s be honest, we all like to have a moan about the small stuff on occasions. I am talking about everyday things that really get our goat; the train being late, the weather, your dog’s muddy paws, the price of bread, not being able to find a parking space.
There’s no doubt most of us will find something that annoys us every day. But how do you deal with these negative thoughts and feelings when that ‘something’ happens? Do you dwell on it and let it ruin your day? Perhaps talk about it? Tell every Tom, Dick and Harry.
“I had to wait 25 minutes for the train again this morning. When it arrived, there was not even a seat. Can you imagine how bad I felt having to stand all the way……”
Either way, you’re fuelling negative thinking. You are stopping yourself from being positive.
Think about what happens when you talk or think about your awful journey.
By dwelling on it or talking about it, you are reminding yourself what annoyed you in the first place. This will trigger the same negative thought in your brain. Why constantly make yourself upset and annoyed? It’s feeding your negative thinking and stopping you from being positive.
Imagine how the person you are talking to is feeling? Do you think they’re really interested to hear about your bad journey? I doubt it. All you’ve done is passed your negative feelings on to them. If you do this often enough, you will soon find that people start to avoid you. Why? Because they view you as a whinger; a negative person. Your negativity will start to bring them down. After all, nobody wants to be around a negative person.
The problem with negative thinking is that it soon becomes a habit. What you’ll find is that all those little frustrations will build up into a volcano of negativity. And that soon gets out of control. It becomes your natural way of thinking. It becomes mentally and emotionally exhausting for you as well as those around you.

So, today try being positive. Stop negativity in its tracks. You will need to make a conscious effort to do this:

1. Think to yourself; I will not moan, whinge or complain today. Repeat this to yourself a few times.
2. When something happens that annoys or frustrates you, make a note of it and think about how you react.
3. Think about it in the bigger scheme of things. Is it worth being annoyed about? Does the end result have disastrous consequences? For example; are you going to lose your job because your train was late? Was standing up for half an hour really that bad?
4. Don’t dwell on it. Move on. Don’t let the negativity take over. Just forget it. Don’t talk about it or tell anyone. If someone asks you how your day has been say “my day has been great thanks.”
5. One last thing. Make a point of asking your friends, family and colleagues how their day has been. If they whinge or complain, think about how this makes you feel and remember this feeling next time you hear yourself complaining. You’ll soon work out who the negative people are. You’ll need to try and find a way to avoid them.
Being positive is achievable but you must stop negativity in its tracks before it spirals out of control.