Tag: positive

A Time to be Thankful

A Time to be Thankful

Life seems to be moving at such a break neck speed. I’m having trouble remembering that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

November usually signals us to count our blessings and name the people, places, and things in which we are thankful. The busyness of life holds us back from slowing down enough to be thoughtful about our blessings.

This leads us to take many people, places, and blessings for granted.

I’m very guilty of this too!

So here is a challenge today.

What would it look like if you were to take 5 minutes today to sit still and reflect on what you are thankful for in your life?

Let’s take it a step further.

What if you put a recurring reminder in your phone to take 5 minutes to be thankful each day?

What do you think that would give to you?

How would it enhance your life?

To take time to be thankful?

It might give you an opportunity to slow down and take a deep breath.

It could be a mindfulness exercise demonstrating that you have a lot more going right in your life than what you what is going wrong.

Our human brains tend to focus on what is going wrong. Therefore, it takes conscious effort to look at what is going right and be thankful.

A very wise friend once shared with me that because we focus so much on the complaints in our lives that it’s not enough to hold complaints in one hand and the positives in the other.

Rather, we have to hold the positives with both hands to truly acknowledge them.

What would it mean if you put down the complaints you have about your life for 5 minutes?

And then held what you are thankful for in both hands? What if you did this everyday?

You just might be surprised that little by little over time your mood and outlook shift to thankfulness.

So, let’s recap. Here’s your challenge:

  1. Put away any distractions.
  2. Take 5 minutes.
  3. Take a deep breath.
  4. Put down your complaints about life for those 5 minutes.
  5. Ask yourself, “what am I thankful for?” “What is going well right now?”

Bonus!

Set a recurring reminder on your phone to be thankful daily for 5 minutes each day.

Would starting your day being thankful work well for your schedule?

Or, would ending your day being thankful work better?

You decide.

Let’s start being thankful right now, today. Ready? Set. Go!

For other exercise prompts for greater overall personal well-being, check out this post about Feelings and Resiliency.

Unlocking the Power of Optimism for a Better Life

Unlocking the Power of Optimism for a Better Life

It’s no surprise that we live in a world where bad things happen. Especially if you watch the news. It can be quite depressing. It can leave us feeling pessimistic and “waiting for the next shoe to drop” so to speak.

What if you could flip the pessimism on it’s head and be more optimistic? Have you ever wondered the impact that optimism could bring to your life? Optimism might not be what you think it is.

In fact, what words or phrases come to mind when you hear the word optimistic?

  • Sunshine and rainbows
  • Rose colored glasses
  • Always happy

What about words like:

  • Successful outcomes?
  • Confidence?
  • Positivity?
  • Hopefulness?

Or phrases like:

  • Make lemonade out of life’s lemons, or
  • The glass is half full

The reality is that optimism is not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s not looking at the world through rose colored glasses either. Optimists are actually quite realistic. And just because you are an optimist, it doesn’t mean you are always happy. Nor does it mean that if you are happy, you are an optimist.

Optimism is, however, the focus of successful outcomes. It is having confidence, positivity, and hopefulness. It’s more than just being positive; it’s having a bright outlook on your future and doing what you can to make your situation better.

Optimisim is having a state of positive beliefs. Optimism is the tendency to notice and expect the positive, focus on what you can control, and take purposeful action. It is how we interpret and perceive the world around us and it’s about the action we take.

There is scientific studies on optimism. It’s been proven that it’s a cornerstone of wellbeing.

Science has also proven that optimistic people are:

  • more resilient
  • more productive, high performing
  • less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and burnout
  • goal setters and planners
  • more hopeful for the future.

They:

  • believe they control the direction of their lives
  • are better able to cope and recover after set-backs
  • are healthier and recover faster.

How do you cultivate optimism for your wellbeing?

When a challenge arises, do you expect the negative or expect the positive? Our brains are wired to look for what we believe. I

f you believe that you won’t achieve a goal, you are correct. Your brain will look for evidence to support that belief.

The opposite is also true. If you believe in a positive outcome, you are correct. Your brain will look for evidence to support that belief.

When a challenge arises, do you see a threat or an opportunity? Are you passive when a challenge arises or do you accept and control what you can?

Do you ruminate on the negatives of a challenge or do you focus on solutions? Do you avoid or take purposeful action? Do you isolate or hide when challenges arise or do you reach out for help?

If we are truthful, I’d imagine that we could fall on the spectrum of low or high optimism depending on the day or the circumstance. We are human after all. Optimism doesn’t mean you can’t be upset if things fall apart or get offtrack. However, it is a belief that you can make your situation better. It’s the realistic viewpoint that if everything falls apart, we get to choose how we pick it back up again.

How can you learn to be more optimistic?

First, we are aware of our thought tendencies. Then, we reframe from a pessimistic viewpoint to an optimistic thought process. It’s an intentional decision to fix the negatives and more forward…positively move forward.

Here’s your call to action.

  1. Think about 1 challenge that you’ve faced this year.
  2. What happened?
  3. How did you overcome it or pivot?
  4. What did you learn that you can apply to future, unknown challenges?

We move at lightening speed in our lives. It’s so easy to overcome or accomplish a goal and swiftly move on to the next thing. Taking a moment of reflection is important to realize how far you’ve com and how you navigated challenges.

Those reflections could help you flex your optimism muscle for future challenges.

New Year Perspective

Happy New Year! A clean slate, a turning of the page, a new chapter, a new book. For some, 2024 may have been unusually difficult and you might be looking forward to the start of a new year. For me, I’m always a little concerned when midnight strikes on December 31. I’m worried about the unknowns and what hardships are in store. Will there be happiness, sadness, excitement? What losses might I experience? My logical brain knows that all of these will be true. My heart, on the other hand, is worried about the possibilities that will be hard and disappointing.

The truth is every year has challenges, losses, excitement, fun, sadness, happiness, and every other shade of emotion. In God’s wisdom, He did not give us a crystal ball to know what’s coming, instead time unfolds one day unto the next. Deuteronomy 31:8 says “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” It’s a comforting reminder that He walks with us daily. We will walk through hardships one step at a time much like any challenge we’ve already walked through, and we are never alone.

As we begin 2025 with goals, aspirations, or have hope of what this year will bring, I want to share a story I heard many years ago. It’s a story that stepped on my toes and caused me to reflect on the differences of what I’m looking for, what I may find, and the disconnect between the two.

Here’s the story: A farmer was tending his crops and a man came walking along the road. The man stopped and asked the farmer, “What kind of people are in the next town?” The farmer replied, “what kind of people were in the town that you came from?”

The man replied, “they were nice and kind people.” The farmer said, “you will find the same type of people in the next town.” And the man departed on his way.

Some time passed and the same farmer was tending his crops and another man was walking along the road and approached the farmer. He told the farmer he was travelling into the next town and he asked, “what kind of people reside there?”

The farmer asked, “what kind of people were in the town that you came from?”

The man replied, “oh, the people in the previous town were unkind, unfair, and judgmental which is why I left.” The farmer stated, “you will find the same type of people in the next town.”

What does this story illustrate? If you’ve experienced similar challenges and frustrations year after year, it might be an opportunity to reflect on what you are looking for and expecting to find. If you are anticipating hardship in 2025, you will find it. If you are suspecting that 2025 will be challenging, you will find it. Scientifically, our brains are wired to look for the evidence of what we believe. What do you honestly believe about this new year at your core?

What I know to be true is that I cannot bring the same thought processes and habits if I want something different. I can’t expect to grow friendships if I don’t plan and invest time into those relationships. I can’t expect to become healthier if I don’t plan how and when I’m going to be physically active and eat healthful foods. I’m setting myself up for frustration if nothing changes. It’s, then, easy to assume that it must be the outside world that’s not working. If I take a few steps back and zoom out, I can see the common denominator in frustrations that have seemly repeated in my life is me. If I want change, I need to shift my approach.

If you are frustrated that 2024 didn’t go so well, take a look at the things that you might be able to change in 2025, like your attitude and what do you honestly believe. What are you expecting to find in 2025? If it’s negative, then it might be time to reflect on how you can shift to more positive expectations. If you have goals you want to accomplish, make sure you aren’t standing in your own way to complete them. You, ultimately, hold the answers. Start with being honest with yourself and decide if it might be time to make a shift.

You can positively affect the direction of your 2025. You can accomplish your goals with the right mindset. Are you ready to crush 2025 and have an awesome year? Ready, set…let’s GO!