When things are great in life, they’re great! You feel like you’re on top of the world and maintaining positive energy is as easy as pie. When things in life suck, they seem to really suck bad. It’s in those times that positive energy is scarce, making negative thoughts seem impossible to control.
We all go through those phases in life where it seems like the Universe is kicking us when we’re already down. It’s hard to think positive thoughts when things aren’t quit going exactly as you would want them to go, but that’s when you need to be positive the most.
What many of us forget is that positivity is a choice — which means, so is negativity. Choosing positivity requires actively making decisions to do so, and it requires intensely training your brain, as if you’re training for a knock down, drag out fight in the Octagon.
When you’re challenging yourself to accomplish a goal, the struggle to stay positive can seem much more intense. As I discuss in my podcast, Master Your Mission, the process for reaching success in any endeavor is Mindset ➡ Preparation ➡ Work ➡ Reward, so it’s imperative to your success that you choose positivity over negativity.
In case you need a little help finding ways to avoid negativity creep by choosing positive thoughts, here are 10 ways to stay positive as you continue your journey to accomplish your goals.
- Remind yourself often of the most beautiful parts of you.
Usually, we are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up and we’re reluctant to glorify the things that we love the most about ourselves because we don’t want to appear cocky or conceited. We rarely ever take the time to appreciate the most beautiful parts of our personalities and the things that make us the most unique.
Remind yourself of those things that you love the most about yourself. Make a list, if you need to, and refer to it often.
2. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, you have to stop that thought in its tracks and replace it with something positive. Find something that makes you feel good — your kids, a joke, your significant other, an exciting opportunity, something from your past, or anything else that makes you feel good — and think about that.
3. Remember your wins.
If you’re doubting yourself or your ability to get the job done, remember all your wins in life. Think of all the times, in the past, that you’ve conquered the impossible and made a way out of no way.
What were some of the things you did to get those wins? How did you feel once you accomplished those goals or got through those trying times? Use those memories as a reminder that you’re much tougher than you give yourself credit for. You’re a winner and you’ll win again!
4. Give yourself credit.
As you work hard to accomplish your goal, celebrate each milestone you reach. Reward yourself for a job well done, and get into the habit of looking forward to those rewards.
Be confident in your ability to get things done, because — remember — you’ve done great things before.
5. Find things to look forward to.
Besides looking forward to rewarding yourself as you reach milestones, you should find other things within your process to look forward to. If regularly scheduled breaks gives you something to look forward to, then be sure to have them planned and actually take them. Of course, you should also look forward to actually accomplishing your goal too, and staying positive is vital to that happening.
6. Do the things that make you happy.
Oftentimes, we get so focused on accomplishing a goal, that we forget to take time to ourselves and do the things that make us happy. Most of us have hobbies and activities that make us feel good. Do those things and do them often. When you find yourself getting stressed and allowing the negativity to creep in, spend some time in your happy place.
7. Eliminate negative people and situations from your life.
You must protect your positive energy from people and situations that drain you of it. Remove yourself from situations that aren’t productive and conducive to your own personal growth. Reconsider relationships with people who contribute to negativity and/or drama and seem to keep you in a bad space.
8. Surround yourself with supportive people who love you.
Just as it’s important to remove negative people from your life, it’s equally as important to surround yourself with supportive people. You need people who will encourage you and uplift you now more than ever. People who support your dream and are willing to do what they can to help are your best allies in staying positive on your journey.
9. If you can change it, change it. If you can’t, let it go.
You’ve heard it before — don’t sweat the small stuff. When things are out of your control, don’t dwell on what could have been or should have been. Let them go and move on to the next.
If there’s something you want to change that is within your control, change it. Don’t harp on how bad it is or how badly you want it to change. Instead, just take action and change it. You’ll completely avoid the negative space that complaining about it will put you in.
10. Have fun.
Most importantly, have fun. When you are having fun, you’re not having negative thoughts — you’re having fun thoughts. Remember the process — Mindset ➡ Preparation ➡ Work ➡ Reward — and enjoy it while you’re in it.
Avoiding negativity creep and choosing to be positive is one of the smartest things you can do to ensure your success in pursuing your goals. Your mindset is the first thing you must master in order to reach the end goal. Stay diligent and aware of what you’re allowing yourself to think and train your mind to knock out negativity as soon as it creeps its way into the ring with you.