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Positive thinking – ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’

Your thoughts create your reality – it really is that simple. While events can change the direction of your life how you CHOOSE (yes, it is a choice !) to interpret these events determines how much happiness you will experience day to day.

It is now widely accepted that our life experiences are, to a large extent, the manifestation of previous thoughts. This is why there is so much focus on ‘positive thinking’ in popular psychology.

Achieving and maintaining this ‘happy state’ requires you to develop good habits and the discipline of daily practice.

Do….

–  Monitor your thoughts and ask yourself if a  particular thought is moving you forward or holding you back. Awareness is the key to positive thinking. 

– Appreciate and express gratitude to yourself and others for all that is good in your life.

– Live in the moment, with no fears or expectations for the future.

– Give yourself permission to change your mind, and be adaptable to changing circumstances.

– Move quickly to acceptance of ‘what is’. Staying stuck in anger and denial is pointless and stops you from moving forward.

– Celebrate your successes, as this will manifest more of the same in your life

– Watch your language ( keep it positive) both what you say to others but especially your inner dialogue

– Look for the positive and the opportunity in every situation, however difficult.

– Look after yourself. Develop care programs for your mind, body and soul.

Don’t….

– ‘Should’ or ‘Must’ on yourself.   Eliminate ‘ I should ‘ or ‘I must ‘ statements  from your vocabulary. What follows these words is no more than past conditioning or someone else’s voice in your head.  Do what  feels right for you NOW in the circumstances of the moment.

– Expose yourself to negative people; the prophets of doom and gloom. They will impact on your thinking. Also, limit your exposure to the news media, which tends to focus on ‘bad’ news stories.

– Be a perfectionist. Impossible standards (even in terms of positive thinking !) never bring happiness. Your best is always good enough.

– Dwell on past ‘failures’.  They have no relevance to your life now.

– Take it personally when criticized.  Take the learning from others ‘feedback’, but drop the rest.

– Deny ‘what is’ . Face up to situations. Positive thinking is not about avoidance of the difficult but rather knowing that you can deal with any situation, with the right attitude and frame of mind.

The above requires dedication to the task but the rewards are great. With positive thinking there will still be challenges, but you can dramatically improve your coping skills and the ratio of ‘good’ days to ‘bad’ days. You will also be more successful as good moods are essential for productivity, creativity and personal growth.

 

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