Positive thinking: it’s something we all struggle with. This has been on my mind a lot lately, and I’ve really been focused on working on my own positivity, especially in stressful situations. In today’s world, there is so much craziness and negativity, it can be hard to see anything positive. However, I’ve been challenging myself to do just that. In this week’s blog, I decided to talk about the power of positive thinking, and why we all could use a little more of it in our lives.
What was the last positive, uplifting story you heard on the news? Unless you’re watching a local news story about people doing good in their community, you probably can’t remember one. Whether it’s the news, social media, work, or anything else in our lives, we’re constantly bombarded by negativity. For me, working in retail, launching a business, and doing theatre sometimes gets overwhelming, and I find myself sinking into this “woe is me” attitude. I catch myself doing it, and I have to really work to pull myself out of it.
At the end of the day, we should be grateful to have another day. Whether we’re living our dreams, or still pursuing them, we’re so lucky to be doing just that. So, when I find myself in a less than pleasant situation, I always try to come at it from the mindset if, what is this trying to teach me? If I can observe the situation from that point of view, I can respond to it in a more positive manner.
Let me be clear, this is by no means easy. As much as I believe that everything happens for a reason, I sometimes struggle to figure out what that reason is. I’ve come to realize that sometimes, you won’t know, and it won’t make sense. You just have to trust the journey, and believe that it will turn out for the best. I’m here to tell you, it usually always does.
My favorite trick for when I need to pull myself out of one of these funks is to immediately think about 3 things coming up in my life that I'm excited about, or looking forward to. This way, you're training your mind to see the good that's ahead, making you instantly become more positive. I literally do this on the spot, no matter where I am.
I encourage anyone reading this to try and adopt this mindset. Some days you’ll be good at it, other days you won’t be. However, the more you change your way of thinking, the easier it becomes!