The power of positivity is the idea that you can change your life by changing the way you think. Life is a reflection of your mind and the result of your thoughts turning into your actions, so everything can be changed by what you think. In short, if you can change your thoughts, you can change your life. And you know, change is the only way to improve! So before you read on, ask yourself: am I willing to change? 😉
Why is it important to think positive?
Positive thinking helps you to identify new possibilities in your life. People who think positively are more likely to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise, build new skills and develop existing ones, so they really do have more options in life.
What are the effects of negative thoughts?
To understand the effect of the power of positivity, it is necessary to first understand what effects negative thoughts have. They are at the root of our suffering and stress. If they become constant they can also lead to depression. That is why we need to understand how to get rid of them to live better. Negative thinking is a habit, so it is something that with a little training your brain can avoid.
What are the most frequent negative thoughts?
How many times have you thought expressions like: “I am not capable of doing anything good”, “I will never make it”, “I am not smart/beautiful/sympathetic enough”, “I am just an average person with an average life”, “I will never have the body I want”, “I don’t deserve it”, Not…Not…Not…. and again Not!? How many times have you spoken so disrespectfully to yourself?
And how many times have you used this expression: “If only I were…thinner/beautiful/sympathetic/intelligent/high/low…..”?
This is what I mean when I say that life is a reflection of your mind. How can you expect to achieve your goals and get what you want if you can only have negative, frustrating and limiting thoughts that do not lead to anything good?
Pessimists live their lives in a passive way
Negative thoughts are demoralising, they only lock you into a state of anxiety and fear of action. If you don’t act, you are certainly not creating the life you desire. Negative thinking leads to reacting to life and not acting. In other words, it leads you to live by inertia, accepting everything that passively happens to you; you are just an actor, not a director. To have a happy life your thoughts must be positive and focused on a goal. You decide the goal and the direction of this flow that runs as fast as a train, and you have everything you need to feed it, the fuel (thoughts) and the engine (actions), and thus set off on a wonderful journey.
Think you don’t have the power to create the life of your dreams? And that is where you are wrong! In conclusion, you are the only one who possesses this power.
How to use the power of positivity? Let’s take a look at the steps to positive thinking!
1) Recognise negative thoughts
To be able to avoid negative thoughts you have to learn to recognise them so that you can nip them in the bud! But how to do this? The answer is simple. Firstly, ask yourself more often what you are thinking about, what you think about yourself, your life, your body, your work and everything around you. Moreover, ask yourself if you are happy and if your thoughts are motivating and positive or if they are sad and limiting like the examples above.
After that, try to ask yourself these questions many times during the day, each time you realise you are immersed in thoughts, ask yourself if they are negative and are changing your mood, leading to a chain reaction. Negative thoughts cause bad moods and frustration, which in turn lead to further negative and even more frustrating thoughts. Try to understand if your mind is caught in this vicious circle. As in any situation, understanding the problem is the first step to finding a solution.
2) The power of positivity is closely linked to the power of gratitude.
Plenty of scientific researches are studying the effects of gratitude and the changes this simple feeling brings to our brain. Gratitude frees us from toxic emotions, that’s how useful it is. When we feel grateful for who we are, what we have and everything that surrounds us, our mood immediately changes and becomes positive. It’s like when we look at a glass of water, we can think of the half-empty or the half-full. For me, this is what it means to be grateful, to look at the half-full glass, what we have today, now, in the present and be grateful. Because we should not underestimate even the simplest things, like simply being able to breathe or walk. How often do we forget that? Too many times.
The most common way to cultivate gratitude is to keep a “gratitude diary” and record experiences for which you are grateful. The idea is to write down at least three positive experiences on a daily basis. Recently, I started mine, and I will be happy to write about my experience soon.
3) Making use of positive affirmations
Positive affirmations are a good tool to make the most of the power of positivity. When I feel down in the dumps, I know I have the power to change my mood and my thoughts (I am willing to change), and I help myself by going through my favourite positive and motivational affirmations in my diary.
4) Maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle is not about being thin and beautiful. It means taking care of yourself 100%, achieving a balance between caring for your body and your mind. And the power of positivity can help us achieve this.
Keep in mind that it is by no means compulsory to make a lot of sudden changes in your daily routine to achieve a healthy balance in your life. It is important to proceed step by step, trying to integrate one habit at a time into your daily routine to avoid causing discomfort and frustration. Here are some of my suggestions:
- Eat well, try to have an active life, aim for your ideal shape.
- Get enough sleep and take care of yourself.
- Learn to manage stress and try to stay in touch with nature, your spirituality and the world around you.
- Face challenges, gain clarity and try to go further by learning from mistakes and accepting failures.
- Smile, smile and smile!
- Avoid complaining about everything
- Don’t procrastinate even the small things that you can do in 2 minutes.
- Never dwell on the past, you can’t change it, you can only accept it and move on
- Don’t shift the blame and don’t hold grudges, instead learn to apologise (you’ll feel light as a feather!)
5) Believe in yourself and your abilities
Believing in you will open up endless opportunities in life. There will be times when this will seem very difficult to do. The truth is that we have been conditioned to doubt ourselves. We have to learn to get rid of our fears and stop doubting ourselves, so we can build the self-esteem and confidence we need. Everything you have in your life is the result of believing in yourself and believing that it is possible.
6) Surround yourself with “positive” people!
And if negative people always find a problem for every solution, positive people know that there is a solution for every problem. Surrounding yourself with positive people is essential to living well, people who believe in you, in your qualities and encourage you even in the darkest moments. They know how to bring out the best in you, recognise your value and respect it. Distance yourself from everything that does not resemble you, and try instead to prefer a few but positive friendships, those that are good for the heart.
What about you? Do you use the power of positivity or are you a person who has yet to learn how to use it to the full?
A big hug, Tonia.
