travels with toby

Being positive is one thing I have been trying to learn more about.  It’s been a struggle for me but I think I’m finally learning how to be more positive.  By no means am I an expert.  But I have learned some things along the way and would like to share.

When negative thoughts appear you should ask yourself if the thought is reasonable.  Indeed I’ve heard that about 98% of those negative thoughts never occur.  Here is an apt quote that tells it like it is:

“Some of the worst things in my life never happened.” – Mark Twain

Chase those negative thoughts away and replace them with positive thoughts.  An exercise I’ve found useful is affirmations.  They are statements you say in your head that reinforce what you actually are and not what your negative thoughts or fears suggest that you are.   Here’s a sample of some of the affirmations I say:

•          I am smart
•          I am confident
•          I can learn anything
•          I can accomplish anything I put my mind to
•          I am organized
•          I am detail oriented
•          I am efficient
•          I can handle whatever comes.
•          I can choose a positive frame of mind.

I had two days start out completely different recently.  On the first day I awakened and decided to be positive, all day.  I laid in bed a bit before getting up for the day and breathed deeply: “peace and tranquility” breathing in, “I can do anything I put my mind to” breathing out.  When I got to work I was all smiles and greeted everyone I came across.  I had a great day!!

The next day I started the same way with breathing deeply for several minutes before getting up.  The difference was I wasn’t able to maintain it once I got to work.  The report I had done the day before had some errors in it and I let that be the start of my not so positive day.   I am somewhat of a perfectionist and was shocked that I had some errors in that report!!  I set to work figuring out what happened and I learned even more about the report.  So, in the end it was a good experience for me.

Also, I couldn’t stop thinking “what is my assignment?” I read a great blog post, What Is Your Assignment?, which is what prompted my question.  As I lay in bed the night of the not-so-positive start to the day I kept pondering this assignment question.  And an idea came to me to streamline this report.  This is one thing I’m good at and I set about improving that report’s process.  So, even though I started out in a negative vein, I ended the day on a positive note with my idea to streamline the report.  You see? You can turn a potentially negative event into a positive experience.  It’s all in your attitude.

Now, I can’t say that I’m positive every day.  Absolutely not!  But what I’m finding is that I am having fewer negative days.  It is hard work to become more of an optimist when I’ve been basically a pessimist for most of my life.  But, I know it can be done and I am not going to give up!! That’s what makes me so good at my job.  I don’t give up.  When I get stuck on something, I exhaust all my resources until I find the answer.  So it stands to reason I am not going to give up on myself.

I have found that on my positive days I am on top of the world, like anything that happens won’t phase me one bit.  Do you know what happens when you smile at and greet people?  They are generally very receptive and smile and greet you back.  It’s amazing!  Try it.  You might like it.  :)

Random beautiful flower photo: