Category: A Positive Mindset

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Living Life: Tips on How to Have a Positive Outlook Part II

 

 

 

Here are the next 10 steps for creating – and maintaining – a positive outlook:

11. Listen to Good Music

 

Music is the only activity that engages the whole brain, so it is useful as both a

relaxation and an energizing tool. Music helps your mind relax. It

allows your subconscious to take a break from the stress and hardships

encountered during the day. By listening to your favorite songs or to music

which promotes positive thinking will help you clear your head, feel relaxed

and calm. Use this medium to your advantage and get to see the effects of

listening to good music.

 

12. Dream Big but Keep it Real

We all had dreams as we grew up but, somewhere along the way to adulthood

and life’s circumstances, those dreams can be put on a shelf to be forgotten.

But that doesn’t have to be so – do the things that you love to do and engage in

activities or pursuits which will help you reach your dream. Bear in mind, you

can always dream big but keep it within the boundaries of reality.

 

13. “Today is a Good Day!”

Starting the day off on a positive note helps you get through any challenge in

your day. Telling yourself that “Today is a Good Day” helps to release positive

hormones and elevates your emotions. Your outlook will be on positives

versus negatives. Make this a habit daily (or several times a day) to develop

this good habit.

14. “This, Too, Shall Pass”

Sometimes, when you are faced with a dilemma, there is just nothing that

you can do about it. You have to relax and let the situation take its course.

All bad things will come to an end. Take a breather. Think things over. This

is the time wherein you sometimes get to realize that the problem is not as

big as you think it is. With this, you will get to think, plan and prepare for then

best actions to take in whatever type of predicament you are facing.

 

15. Find Out What Happened

Having a positive outlook does not necessarily mean that you have to deny

the fact that something wrong happened. This also means that you need to

find out what went wrong. Think things through so that you will get a better

picture as to what led you to this kind of situation. This may or may not be

your fault. But if it is, you will have the opportunity to know what your

mistakes are and take the necessary actions in order to not repeat those

same mistakes in the future. As the saying goes, ‘you can’t fix what you don’t

know.”

 

16. Exercise Can Do Wonders

Exercises are not meant only to get a toned, well developed abs. Exercises

are necessary to jump-start your body and prepare your mind for another

day ahead of you. It will help perk up your morning. Also, doing regular

exercise routines will help you develop good routines so you feel better about yourself.

 

17. Self-Denial Will Do You No Good

For those who have been living a life of self-denial, changing this type of

perspective is a big change. However, if you are truly sincere about your

desire to live a life centered in optimism then you have to take this big step

towards change. Face the things which you find hard to accept before. Stop

denying that they exist. Accept them and deal with them. Everybody goes

through painful situations, not just you. But each individual is different in

terms of the ways they deal with these circumstances. Remember, you will

solve nothing and you will never be able to move on with your life if you

keep on burying your head in the sand. Denial is a good place for a very short

period of time but, eventually, you have to face the reality of your situations

and come up with solutions to solve them.

18. Start Being Proactive Versus Reactive

Take charge of your future by being proactive. You can create and shape

the circumstances which you think will likely happen if you put your heart

and efforts into it, such as mapping out steps or options you can take and how

you make decisions,

Being proactive is never easy especially if you have lived

a life as a reactive person. You can still change this and start taking charge

of your life. You are the captain of your ship, remember? You will never be

the person you want to be if you continue to live your life based on

reactive decisions. You will always be afraid and you will only have limited

options in your life. You still have time. Be proactive and start taking over

your life. Be strong, smart and fearless in achieving your goals.

 

19. Deal With Your Problems

When you feel that the world is crumbling down on you, you do not have to

just stay there. You can do something about it. Everybody has their own

problems. But you cannot solve these predicaments if you just keep on

wallowing in it. You have to find the solution and ways to resolve your

issues and deal with it. Solutions are there if you take time to look for them,

while being brave to face them no matter what.

20.  Turn Failures Into Opportunities

Failures are not all that bad. You can still get some great opportunities out

of them. By being able to spot those opportunities in spite of the said failure

you will get to rise again and succeed, while becoming resilient along the way.

Do not just give up even if you think that failures and problems just keep on

coming. Turning your situation around starts with how you look at that

situation so focus on more positive thoughts, such as “I am strong and have

skills to get through this.” Having a more positive outlook will lessen the

negative emotions that can overwhelm you and seeing the situation in a

clearer light.

 

“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” — Winston Churchill

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Living Life: Tips to Have a More Positive Outlook on Life

 

 

Staying positive is not that simple, especially in our current world of weather issues, financial and job uncertainty, and the possibility of global sanctions with other nations. With all of the chaos, it’s can lead to negativity and ‘doom and gloom’ thinking.

 

Life is never easy, but there are ways to develop a positive outlook so you don’t wake up feeling hopeless, have anxiety, or however you respond to stressors in your life.

Staying positive is never that easy, especially if you are going through tough times. However, if you do stay positive even during these instances, you will reap the benefits of your efforts. You will be able to deal and cope with your daily routines easily. You will become more optimistic and you will be less likely to think negatively, which will just add up to your worries.

Life is never easy, but there are ways to develop a positive outlook so you don’t wake up feeling hopeless, have anxiety, or however you respond to stressors in your life.

Staying positive is never that easy, especially if you are going through tough times. However, if you do stay positive even during these instances, you will reap the benefits of your efforts. You will be able to deal and cope with your daily routines easily. You will become more optimistic and you will be less likely to think negatively, which will just add up to your worries.

If you make an effort to have a positive outlook in life, you will notice that you will become more efficient, more successful and happier. This is the type of state of mind which you should start developing.

You might ask, what are the characteristics of a person who has a positive

outlook in life?

Here are 10 traits that distinguish one as a positive thinker:

You might ask, what are the characteristics of a person who has a positive outlook in life?

  • These people are much more motivated and dedicated to reach their
  • They are optimistic when it comes to all the things which are
  • happening to their life.
  • These individuals are capable of thinking creatively.
  • These people are capable of taking everything, either good or bad,
  • These individuals choose to be happy rather than worry about all of
  • the bad things that are currently happening in their life.
  • They continuously seek for new opportunities.
  • They exude self-confidence and they feel good about themselves as well as their abilities.
  • They find solutions to problems rather just complaints.
  • They always find inspiration in all the things which they do.
  • They strive hard to achieve their goals and attain success.

 

Over these next five days, you can learn ways to develop and maintain a positive outlook

  1. Your Expectations in Life Must Be Realistic

As with any goal, being realistic will lead to more success. While you can have those high, lofty goals, looking at them realistically, such as with time, money, people, will make them more achievable. For example, saying you want to lose 10 pounds sounds achievable but if you set the goal at losing those pounds in a two weeks to a month might not be reachable without a good diet or exercises program.

 

  1. Your Past, Present and Future: Learn How to Handle It

Looking at regrets in your life won’t lead to happiness; neither will the future. Neither are areas you can control. Making peace with your past will, as will being hopeful about your future. Focus on the only area you can control, which is the present.

 

  1. Be Hopeful Even During the Bad Times

Being hopeful even in times when you are facing a negative situation takes courage and strength. Being positive tells you that there are ways to manage through challenging times so you don’t get stuck there. You have been through adversity before – focus on what you did to make it through to where you are now.

 

  1. Be True to Yourself

This means that you know yourself and why you do the things you do, which includes complete honesty. This is not easy but you won’t make it through if you are living for others and not yourself. This includes knowing your boundaries, accepting and loving yourself, despite your flaws, and doing what is right for you.

 

  1. Use “Positive Word Only: Rule

If you are truly serious in finding your way towards having a positive outlook in life, you must learn its foundation. The use of positive words alone during your daily conversations is the foundation of having a positive attitude.

This is simple, choose the words that you use and avoid saying “you can’t”. The words that you use play an important role on how you view things. By using positive words alone, you can express yourself better, attract positive vibes; improve your mood as well as being able to appropriately express all the things which you desire. It’s helpful to create a positive words only jar, where you put a penny (or amount you choose) to drop in when you don’t say positive words – it’s a great way to change the brain, develop a good habit, plus you can save money as the jar fills up.

 

  1. Make an Effort to Avoid Negative Feelings and Thoughts

If you are on a negative state of mind, you will see the world as a place which is distorted. Plus, you will always have negative emotions which will likely result to taking negative actions towards almost everything that is happening on your life. You have to break free from this cycle and start living a life which spins around a positive attitude towards everything.

Practicing thought-stopping is a good way to retrain your brain to positivity; you can put a rubber band on your wrist and snap it when a negative thought occurs, which you must then replace with 3 positive thoughts to override that negative thought.

  1. Stop Making Excuses If you Want to Be Happy

When something negative occurs, it’s easy to place blame on others mainly to avoid self-blame. Stop the blame and take responsibility for your thoughts and actions. It is actually freeing to do so.

  1. Positively Deal With Change

Change is a constant and inevitable. You may not realize that change occurs from small areas in our lives daily, such as getting up at a different time to go to work. As humans, we actually do not life change which is why we tend to avoid hard areas we deal with.

Dealing more positively with any change will lessen stress around the issue, make you feel safe and valued and aid in your personal growth.

  1. Accept Your Imperfections

When working towards self-improvement, you may notice your imperfections, or those challenge areas, that make up you. We do tend to focus on those negative aspects, as how our brains are formed, which can lead to anxious or depressive feelings.

A more positive way to look at them is to see how they make you a unique person; don’t be afraid to stand out versus fitting in. Look at your strengths and skills and work on using them to live a more fulfilling life.

  1. Smile Often

You may have heard that it takes more facial muscles to frown than to smile. The very act of smiling releases positive hormones into your body so you feel better and more connected to others. Smiling can also be contagious so others smile back. If you don’t feel like smiling, put a pencil in your mouth as it will raise the corners and release those positive hormones so you feel more positive in your mood and outlook.

Start using these today. Ten more will be posted tomorrow, so look forward to it. A positive outlook leads to a positive life.

 

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results” —Willie Nelson

 

 

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Self Motivation – A Short Guide to Goal Achievement

Today is the beginning of a new month, and the final one before we start the new year. Hard to believe that 2026 is only four weeks away. What you may not realize is that this is a great time to finish your goals – you don’t have to put them away to start ‘fresh’ once the new year starts. Many think of resolutions when setting goals.

Unfortunately, research suggest that only 8-10% achieve those resolutions, with many abandoning their goals on what is known as ‘Quitters Day” or the second Friday of January, while 80% stop working on their goals by the second week of February. Those odds aren’t good.

So what stops people from not fulfilling the very aspects they want to improve upon?

First, using the word resolution, which means to resolve or not do something’ gives off a negative vibe which is not very motivating. Change the word to call it ‘intention,’ as this means you are committed to what you decide and with determination. That mindset alone will get you into action-mode and accomplishment.

Second, most people don’t know how to set goals or are not intentional with them. Starting with a strong determination will make the goal clearer and see what actions are needed to accomplish them.

You may have heard of SMART goals, which is one way to set goals: Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Time-Limited. All are essential but specific and time-limited are the two most important of them; if you cannot state a goal in specifics, your brain can’t come up with the steps needed and they won’t be as motivating. Putting a time-limit on when you want to achieve the goal is what will  give you the momentum and accountability as you are working the steps.

But what about motivation, or the drive behind one’s actions.  Let’s say you’ve set clear and compelling goals and start working them, but you seem to have hit a wall and the goal doesn’t seem so important, leaving you wanting to do nothing, even the things you love to do. Then idleness starts to take its toll and you find yourself working the goal less and less.

As a result, a new pattern emerges of not acting which brings up guilt and shame, hence letting negativity cloud your mind and effort. This is called lack of motivation and, if this situation sounds familiar, then pay attention to the following points:

  • Assess your present situation

Why exactly are you feeling this way? What is lacking, both in what you want to achieve and your desire for it/them? Is this because of an isolated event or due to an accumulation of factors? Are there current circumstances that you have to focus on, while trying to make changes? Regardless of the situation, you should be sure that your situation is a manifestation of incongruence between reality and your own ideas. Your job is to identify the schism first, then develop small, attainable changes which will close the gap.

  • Never make goals

It probably caught you by surprise because everyone else seems to scream the words ”make goals”. Instead of making goals, make choices that will cumulatively reflect your values and also desires. Try making unrealistic goals which are not compatible with your lifestyle, nor reflective to your current resources or capabilities and failure will be raring its ugly head on you. Then it becomes a predictable outcome powered by an impractical wish.

If you want the incongruence that exists between reality and dreams to slowly fade, make daily choices that will bring about the wide paradigm shift. A more uplifting way to set goals is through the method of Everest Goals, where you start with the goal being achieved and then work backwards in how to achieve them; this method, based on those who actually climbed Mt. Everest, opens the brain up to finding solutions that will make your goals a reality.

  • Create room for the bad

We all have strengths and weaknesses and, sometimes, what we try to avoid ends up getting the best of us. Rather than being deceived on the idea of eliminating the bad instantly, focus on doing the good first before the bad can come last. What this means is to allow yourself space that your drive may ebb and wane at times which can take the pressure off of having to constantly achieve to prevent any guilty feelings that may arise. If one day you wind up eating that piece of cake, just determine to get back to the goal the next day.

Change is not easy and you may find resistance but, with a positive mindset and seeing the outcome of the goal, along with the benefits you will get by having that outcome, you can diminish and then overcome any resistance you may find and your motivation will return stronger than before.

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.”  

      (Steve Maraboli)

 

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Having Courage – The Way to Do Anything

Having courage is the way to do anything you want. Sounds easy, right? If having courage were easy, failure would not come in to play, as people would just do whatever task they want. Their goals would be a natural occurrence, and done quickly, as people would not hesitate or not move forward.

But, we know this is just an idle dream as people do hesitate, they don’t go after their desires, and they do fail. The question arises as to why there are some people who do fail but can get back up and try again. Think of The Wright Brothers or Walt Disney whose brilliant ideas didn’t work out…. until they did.

They, and many others like them, had the courage to try and try again, and again. Despite public outcry and judgements, these brave souls displayed courage to move forward despite what criticisms they faced.

We – you – need to have this same mentality to achieve your goals and dreams. But, what exactly does the word courage mean and how does one get it?

Courage is one’s ability to confront pain, fear, uncertainty, intimidation

or danger. There are different types of courage, which may range from

endurance and physical strength to mental stamina and innovation, which can be distinguished between physical and moral courage.

Physical courage involves having the courage when facing hardship, physical pain, the threat of death or death itself. Think of those in battle or pushing through after being laid off from a job.

Moral Courage is the ability of a person to act rightly when facing popular opposition, scandal, discouragement or shame. This one is very difficult for some people as they don’t want to ‘make waves,’ stand out, or go against popular opinion.

So what does separate those who act courageously versus those who don’t:

  1. Feeling fearful but taking action despite it
  2. Following your heart, i.e. passions
  3. Standing up for what is right

These have all been briefly discussed earlier, so how does one become courageous?

Mindset plays the biggest part – you have to know your strengths and abilities and think/believe you can achieve. Knowing your strong-suits will give you more trust in yourself for you to rely on them; look at what you are known for, such as problem-solving, strategizing a goal, or it could be your sunny disposition. Knowing our strengths will get us through.

Believe – a part of mindset are beliefs which become fundamental and hard to change. Thoughts turn to actions which turn to beliefs. The more you think positively and think you can, then take some sort of action, the more you will believe you can do and achieve your desires. Daily, write down all your accomplishments, no matter how big or small. What did it take for you to do them – you might be surprised at your answers.

Take action – being courageous pushes you through any fear that may stop you, which is done by acting on your desires. Fears can hold you back as you may be thinking of a negative outcome or have talked yourself into how lacking you are. The brain is actually looking to protect you by being ‘safe’ and staying where you are. However, taking some type of action will lead to your desired outcome; start with the smallest step so your fear center doesn’t activate.

Visualize – see yourself with the desired outcome, as well as taking necessary actions that led you there. This is a great way to activate your brain for success. Utilize all of your senses in this exercise in detail. Our visual sense is one of the most powerful of the five senses so use it; you can close your eyes and ‘see’ you taking any actions to reach your goal; you can take a picture, draw, or find one from a magazine; what you see you start to believe and it primes your brain to go after it. I once consulted for a woman who had a picture of a house at least 20 times in her office; she said it was her dream home and she never wanted to forget what she was working for. She did get that house. It worked for her and can for you, as well.

Having courage does not equate with some large-scale event; for some people, it can mean getting out of bed or picking up the phone to schedule a job interview. Go back and look at all that you have accomplished in your life to ‘see’ how courageous you really are.

 

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”

(Maya Angelou)

 

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Being Kind as You Move into 2025

As we are now into 2025, a lesson to adopt is to express kindness, not just to others but to yourself. Many people don’t put themselves front-and-center, often out of guilt or worry what others may think if they did.

But, if you aren’t kine to yourself first, how can you express this to others in an unconditional way? It’s like when you’re flying on a plane and they tell you to put your oxygen mask on first before your children if there is an emergency.

Being kind can mean not pushing yourself to make or achieve goals, to lose weight, or to be someone or something new. While those are desirable goals, sometimes formulating them can lead to stress and anxiety over what a goal can entail, plush the thought of achieving them.

What I’ve found is that things will work out, one way or another. Being kind can mean just being and living in the moment until the time is right to come up with a goal you’d like to achieve and how you plan to do so. Pushing too hard can lead to a host of adverse emotions that can detract from you mental health and happiness.

Sometimes, just allowing can lead to good outcomes you want; often, not feeling pressured will open up your creativity and spark the motivation to reach them. Put kindness on your to-do list for this year and practice daily. Remember, the more you consistently do an action it will lead to becoming a habit that can change your life.

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