5 Proven Ways to Stay Positive During Challenging Times
By Cecily MacArthur, CPCC
We all agree that we are living in challenging times. It is easy to get caught up in anegative spiral of “awfulizing” and “catastrophizing.” Here are five ways for you tobring a more positive focus into your life and keep moving forward toward yourgoals and dreams:
1.Shut down the negative self-talk
Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvestinggolden delicious
.Bill Meyer
We all have that ugly, little ‘gremlin’ that sits on our shoulder and whispers inour ear “You’re not good enough!”, “You’re so stupid!”, “You don’t deserveit!”, and “Who do you think you are?” Sound familiar? The first step inshutting down that negative voice is to notice when and how often you beatyourself up during the day. Once you pay attention, I’m sure you will besurprised at the number of times you say some prettyhorrible things. Wouldyou allow someone else said these things to you? So why is it OK for you todo it?Once you notice your negative self-talk, you can take steps to shut it down.Stephen Pierce, a highly successful internet marketing entrepreneur, likes totell people to shout out “Stop!” every time you hear the gremlin’s voice.Other techniques involve using the words “cancel” or “delete.” My personalfavorite is to imagine a blackboard with the words written in caulk, and thenvisualizing an eraser wiping the board clean. You get the idea. Once you getthe hang of it, you can start replacing those negative thoughts with positiveones, such as “I can do it!”, “I have what it takes!”, “I deserve it all!.”
2.Practice gratitude
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
Cicero
We’ve all heard of “counting you blessings,” but sometimes we lose sight of what we have in our life when we focus on what we don’t have. Gratitude isextremely powerful. When we are truly grateful, we open our hearts. Thisradiates positive energy from inside of us outward. In this state, it isimpossible to experience negative energyat the same time.Consider starting a daily practice of gratitude. Oprah recommends a dailygratitude journal, where you write down everything you are grateful for eachday. You may want to just list in your mind what you are grateful for, or makeit part of your daily prayers. Whatever practice works for you. Remember to
notice the little things, along with the more obvious ones, such as a beautifulflower, a delicious piece of cake, or friendly smile. Try it daily for a month andnotice what positive things start to happen!
3.Learn to trust your inner voice
What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared towhat lies within us.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you stop listening to your gremlin and you open your heart withgratitude, you now have an opportunity to hear and listen to yourinner voiceof wisdom. This is the voice that each of us has that connects us to our“higher self”, our intuition, and what Wayne Dyer calls “the source.” Topractice hearing your inner voice, try sitting quietly with your eyes closed.After a few deep breaths to relax and clear your mind, ask yourself a questionthat you would like to have answered. Be open to whatever comes into yourhead. Don’t over think it or try to rationalize it. It helps to write down whatcomes up exactly as you receive it. Don’t be discouraged if youdon’t get ananswer at first. It may take some timeand practice to develop your intuitiveabilities.How will you know you are hearing your real inner voice? First of all, themessage will be supportive. I good test is to use your heart. You will know inyour heart if the message feels right for you.
4.Ask for help
There is nothing better than the encouragement of a good friend.
Jean JacquesRousseau
When times get tough, many of us think we have to tough it out ourselves.We get stubborn or we don’t want to be a burden or appear weak and needy. This kind of thinking is actually very selfish, and doesn’t give the people inour life enough credit. People like to help us. It feels good to be needed.For those staunch, independent types out there, the first time you ask forhelp may be difficult and awkward. The good news is that it gets easier andeasier! Surrounding ourselves with positive, supportive and helpful people isa “win-win” situation for everyone involved.
5.Help others
You can have anything you want in life if you just help enough other peopleget what they want.
Zig Ziglar
This is a law of the universe. Giving back is a requirement to our success,and, as I said above, it feels good! Studies have shown that when you do
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5 Proven Ways to Stay Positive During Challenging Times
Five techinques you can start practicing today to get positive and stay positive in these challenging and uncertain times.
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