I have 15 positive thinking tips that are sure to propel your success in life. Whether you are building a business or trying to quit a bad habit, how you think affects your outcome.
But can you learn to “change your mind”? Yes, you can! Because, trust me, if I can then you can.
Welcome to Fearlessly Holistic.
My name is Irma and I want to share my journey to improved health by eating whole foods, moving my body and eliminating stress as much as possible.
It is my hope to inspire you to join me in making daily changes to improve long term health. Eating fresh, seasonal food and getting some sunshine is the best way to increase longevity. But you do not want just a long life. You want a healthy, high quality long life.
I like to focus on practical information and positive thinking, as well as come cool tips that I have learned the hard way. If that sounds good to you, then be sure to read any “Related Post’s” within the page for more quality information.
**My blog posts are my opinion and the results of things that I have tried that either worked for me or didn’t. My opinions are for informational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. Medical advice should always be obtained from a qualified medical professional for any health conditions or symptoms associated with them**
The Power of Daily Positive Thinking
Carol Dweck, a Stanford researcher observed that people fall into one of two categories: fixed mindset or growth mindset. People may believe that who they are cannot be changed, but just watch a few “based on a true story” movies and you will know that change is possible and helpful.
Carol observed that those with a growth mindset are often more successful in whatever venture in which they choose to participate.
Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset
Those with the “fixed mindset” frame of mind tend to feel that their skills, potential and abilities are pre-determined and are not able to be improved upon.
People with a “growth mindset” are open to the idea that there is always room for improvement if they are willing to work enough at it.
The folks in the “fixed” category tend to feel powerless over any ability to manipulate their pre-ordained, possibly genetic skills and talents.
Growth category people are far more optimistic about who is calling the shots concerning their own aptitude and competence.
Other Significant Mindset Differences
How a person views mistakes or obstacles and the attitude that they foster when blocks arise:
- A fixed mindset is apt to become easily discouraged by impediments and is far more likely to “throw in the towel”. Dweck found that it is clearly evident which mindset you have based on how you deal with failure, even if you are not aware of which mindset you have.
- People with a growth mindset are far more optimistic in their outlook; they try to “make the best if it” and they use feedback to improve for next time.
Here is an easy way to spot the differences (and do you recognize anyone you know?):
- Fixed mindset avoids challenges; growth mindset embraces them
- A fixed mindset gives up easily; growth mindset will persist and push through blocks
- People with a fixed mindset see effort as “too much work”; people with growth mindset see effort as a building block to success
- Feedback is ignored or criticized by fixed mindset people, but is embraced by growth mindset people as a tool to improve.
- Other people’s success feels threatening to those with fixed mindset, whereas folks with a growth mindset find other people’s success to be inspiring
How Does Our Mindset Affect Our Ability to Grow and Prosper and be Successful?
A person who tends to consistently be discouraged or depressed is far more likely to have that morose mentality suppress their immune system. This means that those with a fixed mindset are more prone to illnesses and tend to take longer to recover.
This was me, five years ago, at the beginning of my self-improvement phase.
I had someone treat me really badly and that was the straw that broke the camels back. It was a confusing time and I went into a funk that caused me to seek help…anywhere and everywhere. I was desperate to feel better and to be happier.
I took mental health programs and joined meetup groups, but it wasn’t enough. Then I found Louise Hay and her positive affirmations. From the first time I tried them, weird as it felt, I knew it would help me. More on affirmations below.
People with a growth mindset tend to become sick less often
It is generally agreed upon among psychology and other professional experts on the subject that any person can change their mindset from fixed to growth by simply choosing to change.
Yes, the choice is yours. Keep reading for ways to make that change.
How Positivity Can Change Your Life
Do you know what happy, successful people think about every day? It’s simple. They think about what they want and how they can get it. Positivity can change your life.
When you spend your time thinking and talking about what you want from life and how you can achieve it, you will feel happier and more in control.
Thinking about happy things causes your brain to releases endorphins, which give you a feeling of well-being. It doesn’t take long to develop a positive attitude, because positivity breeds more positivity.
The Importance of Optimism
Psychological tests have shown that happy people have a specific quality that enables them to live a better life. That quality, of course, is optimism.
According to WebMD, optimism can be learned. It’s all about cause and effect. Think of positive thinking as a ladder; you decide to stop or keep moving up the ladder. Practicing positivity moves you up a rung. Negativity moves you down a rung.
If you spend more time with other positive thinking people, you maintain your positivity longer. As well, if you change your way of thinking and align it with optimists, you will start to feel happier and see results.
Happy People Find The Good In The World
There are two distinct ways that optimists deal with the world, which sets them apart from the rest:
- First, they remain focused on what they want, looking for ways to achieve it. They set clear goals and remain confident they will achieve them.
- Second, in every difficult situation an optimist will look for the good. When something goes wrong, they determine what lesson or knowledge can be drawn from the situation.
If you look for the good in someone or something then you will always find it, and in the looking, you will find yourself more cheerful.
The Benefits Of Positive Thinking
Optimists seek the lesson in every obstacle. They don’t get upset and look at where they can lay blame. They control their emotions and look at things logically.
Motivation:
Willpower and motivation come from a strong mind, or at least a mind working towards positivity. As you see the awesome possibilities of life, you are motivated to reach for them. This is because your brain wants you to be happy; it is programmed to help you seek that which improves your mood.
Negative thoughts lead to negative actions. When you replace pessimism with optimism, you reshape your outlook.
Strong Relationships:
Happiness attracts happiness, thus happy people attract people who are happy. Try to spend more time with positive people and if you don’t have any people like that in your life, try to find some.
That was hard for me, because my co-workers are negative, and so are my siblings. I was raised in negativity, and my parents had that “glass half empty” mentality. It takes extra effort to be positive around them, while not falling back into it.
However, positivity breeds trust, which builds strong relationships. Without trust, relationships cannot survive. We are hardwired to seek trust.
If you surround yourself with negativity, you will only attract negativity.
Confidence:
Negativity spreads and can impact other attributes, such as self-esteem and confidence.
The key to leading a happy life is loving yourself. Optimists laugh louder, love harder, and walk taller. They glow.
Strong Mind & Body:
Negative thoughts are draining and can have a severe impact on your mental health. They can leave you struggling to get up in the morning and inhibit your ability to sleep.
Fatigue leads to weakness, sadness, and a lack of motivation. Therefore, negativity takes a toll on your whole body.
Choose Happiness
You can make the choice today to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. Look at your blessings rather than noting every shortcoming. See the best in everyone around you, because in truth, the majority of people are honest and good. Seek out the good in their actions and in their words, and resolve to be of good cheer.
It’s easy to be upbeat when everything in your life is going well. However, it’s even more important to do so when everything is going against you or is falling apart. You can still draw from your inner strength and look on the bright side of life, it will pay off in spades.
The Power of Positive Living
Your viewpoint on life can affect your physical and mental health as well as your emotions. It can also either raise or lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress levels.
If you feel negative about everything, then things usually become more difficult. You can get sick easily, find it difficult to face adversities and hardships in life.
Thinking in a negative light makes it harder for you to enjoy the little things in life.
If you do one or any of the following, then you’re setting yourself up for failure even before you start.
- Focusing only on the negative
- Blaming everything that goes wrong only on yourself, making things seem even worse than they actually are
- Seeing things in only black and white.
Anyone can infuse positivity into their lives. The power of positive thinking may seem a bit cliché, but it really does wonders for your self-esteem, overall mood and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Try these ten positive thinking techniques to adjust your mindset to one of positive thinking:
1. Turn failures into lessons
Acknowledging that no one is perfect puts things into perspective. You are going to make mistakes, but instead of focusing on your failure, break down what went wrong so you can learn from it. Use your “failure” to your advantage and adjust what you do for next time.
2. Find positive friends
Surrounding yourself with people who are grounded and upbeat helps you maintain a positive outlook.
Positivity is contagious, so choose your friends wisely. Seek out happy, positive people also because they draw other happy people to themselves; this is an opportunity for you to meet more new positive people to hang out with.
3. Be thankful
Each night before going to bed, write down 3 things you’re grateful for. Gratitude changes your thinking quicker than almost anything else.
It may be as small as a great cup of coffee or something bigger like hitting your goals. Make it a habit and you’ll soon realize it’s become part of your daily routine.
4. Seek humor
Watch stand-up comedy routines or funny movies opens you up to laughter which signals the brain to release ‘feel good’ hormones.
This reduces stress levels and allows you to see the silver lining, even in the most difficult of situations.
5. Assess what you’d like to change
This could be hard to do at first and may require several attempts, but it gets results and you’ll feel empowered.
Think about what bothers you, but only think abut it long enough to figure out what you can do about it. Maybe your job is ill-fitting and fills your life with negativity. You may want to do something else, but fear is holding you back.
Ask yourself why you are afraid?
Is taking the first step scary? Again, ask yourself why. We can get overwhelmed into non-action because we see too many steps in front of us.
Sometimes we just have to take a first step to push us past our fear. The first step could be as simple as taking an aptitude assessment to find a better suited job or applying online for a new position.
6. Try daily positive affirmations
Begin your day on a high note by recognizing the good things that can happen throughout your day. Affirmations are brief statements that we say to ourselves, either out loud or in our head. You can write affirmations on sticky notes and place them where you want reminders.
Repeating positive statements daily is useful to change our negative programming into positive thinking.
Our negative programming can be called “blocks” because they stop us from moving forward. We all have blocks of some kind;
- money mindset blocks (“money doesn’t grow on trees”)
- success blocks (“you have to screw people over to get ahead”)
- or plain ole negative blocks (“I can’t”, “It won’t work”, or “I am not good enough”).
Use positive statements to counter-act the negative, such as:
- Money comes to me quickly and easily
- I am qualified for that position; it is a perfect fit.
- Success is my birthright; whether this works or not, I will learn something helpful for next time; the world is waiting for my gifts and talents
7. Stop the flow of negative thoughts
You might need practice at first but be patient and make the effort. Observe your thought patterns.
You can do this by taking down notes every time you focus on the negative, and then write down a positive affirmation to counter each negative thought.
Think of what positive outcome you want and repeat it over and over to counter the negative. Positive statements in the present tense work fastest, like “I am successful” or “I am a positive, happy person”.
8. Find something you love to do
Hobbies are a great way to feel better about yourself. But taking the time to engage in something you’re good at and actually enjoy fills you with a sense of joy and fulfillment.
When you complete tasks related to your hobbies, you are telling yourself that you can succeed. Take a one day painting class, learn a new language with a continuing education class, or create a homemade gift for a friend.
9. Live a healthy lifestyle
Eat right, exercise regularly and you’ll see a definite boost in your mood. This can be as simple as eating more leafy greens or going for a walk.
Plus, you’ll feel more confident and this helps you see things in a brighter, more positive light.
Related Post: The Benefits Of Eating Healthy for Beginners
10. Practice makes perfect
Reinforcing positive living requires practice. The more you do it, the better you’ll be at it.
Then, one day when you’re in the midst of a crisis, you’ll find that the first thing that comes to your mind is not what can go wrong, but how can I use my strengths to overcome this adversity.
That happened to me when I broke my wrist.
Suddenly I could not drive and trying to get dressed became an unexpected challenge. I can’t do the washing up because if the cast gets wet it has to be replaced right away.
The silver lining is that my teenager is now doing the cooking, shopping, and the dishes! This is awesome because these are skills we want our kids to learn before they move out on their own. And it fell right into my lap.
11. Check your mindset throughout the day
If you catch yourself being negative, that is the time to use positive self talk to adjust your thinking. Don’t berate yourself, but instead recognize your changing mindset and choose to move into positivity.
12. Meditate
Meditation is a great way to relax your mind and get back to positive thinking. Try the free guided meditations at YouTube, like this simple one:
Or buy an audio download for your mobile phone. You can also purchase subliminal programming cd’s or downloads to help you change your thinking. My favorite place to get these is from Kelly Howell at Brain Sync.
13. Write in your journal
Another favorite of mine. I write everything in journals…shopping lists, great ideas, plans for the future. But most of all, this is where I write my negative thoughts while I figure out an opposite, positive thought.
Use a journal to “brain dump” anything that you want to get out of your head or anything you are trying to work through. It is amazing how good an “empty” brain feels lol.
14. Volunteer
Helping others has multiple benefits.
- First, everyone wants to give in some way, which is why we create holidays to do just that.
- Second, many places need volunteers, so you are helping that way as well.
- Third, by volunteering you get out and meet new people..maybe even positive thinking people you can hang out with in the future.
Places that need volunteers are: hospitals and care homes, food banks, animal shelters, fundraising groups, and community events like 10K runs or raising money for local charities.
15. Pay it forward
I have had several people pay for my coffee in the drive-thru and it put a smile on my face for the whole day! I went ahead and paid for the person behind me and it was like a gift that I gave myself.
Seek out ways to be kind to strangers, like complimenting people on their hair or when you see someone who looks amazing in a specific color. People love to know that their choices are acceptable to others.
Plus, there is something about receiving a compliment from a stranger…someone with nothing to gain from being nice.
Conclusion
It is up to us to decide how deal with life. You can decide whether you’ll have a positive perspective and make sweet, delicious lemonade, or you’ll be negative and be left with a batch of sour lemons.
I can tell you from experience, lemonade is the better choice.
Holistic approaches never just address symptoms of specific health problems, but instead aim to return or keep the patient in a state of balanced health between mind, body, and spirit. Holism targets overall wellness, and when we are well, we only get better with age.
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Until next time, here’s to our health!
-Irma
