Knowing how to keep a positive mindset is really important, in all aspects of our lives, but its one of the easiest things to let go of when things happen, especially when those things do not seem to be working in our favour.
What is a Mindset?
Before I go too far, just to break it down a little, a mindset is a way of thinking, right? A quick way of saying it’s how we are wired. In his book, The 7 habits of highly effective people, Stephen R Covey stated we all have way of thinking, in that we have a model, and this model of thinking is formed over years, through our upbringing and our experiences. How we see the world is based on this. It’s the reason why two people can be in exactly the same situation and read it differently.
He ( Covey) says that this map, needs to be worked on if we are to change our habits and thought process to get better things, otherwise we will just keep on doing the same thing and get the same result. The theories he describes and the examples he gives to make his point is part of my favourite bit of the book, but I digress.
I saw a poster the other day that had a quote from Covey, and that said,
Remember we are the product of our decisions, not our circumstances.
and that I what got me thinking about this blog post. In order to keep a positive mindset we need to see things as they are, and understand that we can’t control whatever happens, we can only control how we respond to it. Now please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying ( although it would be ideal) that in the very moment something happens the you are going to remember this, but it is most important that we discipline our disappointments and not use it o react to the situation.
So how to keep a positive mindset
1. Take responsibility for yourself and how you feel.
2. Remember that you are in control of how you respond to any given situation.
3. You always have a choice, and yes it may sometimes be picking between two devils, but you have a choice nonetheless.
4. Remember that attitude is a decision, its a choice,
5. Retain your power by making the choices
6. Make affirmations, or auto suggestions.
7. Use Faith, not just of the religious type, but do things with confidence and trust that it will be.
8. meditate
9. Reflect and learn from your mistakes and indeed on how you want to go forward.
10. Understand that challenges are going to come,
11. Make a plan
12. Reframe negative thoughts when they do come because they will at some point.
13. Practise mindfulness.
14. Do not compare yourself to others, remember life is not a race, we all have our own unique talents, use yours to your advantage, and the only thing you need to do is be the best you can be each day
Look out for:
How often do you go off on a negative bender? You know where you are convinced the whole world is against you, its not your fault, if only that had not happened, if I’d only noticed that before I??? The blame game its called. That mindset of blaming others, will not get you anywhere in the long run. Understand that by blaming others and/or your circumstances you are abdicating your power.
One of the quickest ways of destroying a positive mindset is to not see progress. The best way to see progress is to break your goals down into manageable chunks, another words you can see the wood for the trees.
Mindset works takes practice and time, but you can make the decision and with consistent steps, you can move from a negative mindset to a positive one.
If you have found any value in this post, please do share it with your friends. Let me know how your mindset works, leave a comment, or email me at nike@nikeakiti.com
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Whatever you do, be kind to yourself and have a nice day.
