Seven Tips to Help You Stay Positive

Did you ever stop and wonder, “How did I get here?” Or suddenly realize that your life isn’t what you’ve always dreamed of?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone. That’s because from an early age, we’ve been taught that you only need hard work and dedication to build a happy and fulfilling life.

But this simplistic ideal can leave even the most hardworking people frustrated. Though having a clear vision and taking action toward your goals is important, true success comes from your inner world of thoughts.

If you’ve ever paid attention to your inner dialogue, you might be surprised by the quality of your thoughts. Commit to observing your thoughts for a day and then ask yourself, how much of my thinking is disempowering in the form of judging, berating and being impatient toward myself?

The truth is, your outer world is a direct reflection of your inner world, and without transforming your thought patterns, the quality of your life won’t really change.

The single most important way to transform your life is by learning to love yourself unconditionally. As you do this, your new way of being will pour outward and reshape your life to be more forgiving, compassionate, understanding and accepting.

Where does one begin? Because your thought patterns developed over years, it will take time to recognize negative patterns and shift to a more empowering mindset.

Here’s a few tips to get you started:

1. Slow down enough to bring awareness to your thoughts. Learn to distinguish between the thoughts that empower you and those that undermine your efforts and self-worth.
2. Upon rising, set an intention to keep a watchful eye on negative thought patterns throughout the day to give yourself a chance to stop them in their tracks.
3. When negative thought patterns arise, instead of judging them, use them to explore your inner emotional world to learn about yourself.
4. Surround yourself with people who inspire you to do better. Consider them your role models.
5. As you make progress, there will be times when old destructive patterns may reappear. Throughout the process, be patient with yourself while striving to form new habits of success.
6. It takes consistent practice to break old habitual thought patterns. To assist you in learning new ways to respond to challenges, download our free Reframing Exercise worksheet.
7. Never lose sight of the importance of cultivating inner qualities of success such as integrity, patience, valuing yourself and others and having gratitude for the gifts already present in your life.

Lastly, keep in mind the simple but powerful expression, “what you focus on grows”. And, to help you make that shift in a fun way, download our free five positive word search puzzles here.