WHAT’S COOKING? THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR A POSITIVE MINDSET!

 

Creating a positive mindset is easier than you may think. The essence in fact is in your thinking. Having positive thoughts on a regular basis, will work towards building a positive mindset. Easier said than done many people will say… The key will be chunking it down- breaking it into easier smaller steps

•    Know your strengths and embrace your abilities – this will allow you to know what your good at and allow you work to those strengths. Having confidence in your self and your abilities is a positive mindset building activity. Knowing your strengths is also a great way to start strengths spotting in others- again a positive and solution focused approach in itself!  A great way to identify your strengths is through the Values In Action Survey – http://www.viacharacter.org/www/
•  Have a sense of humor – see the funny sides of things, allow yourself to focus on the less serious. Laughter is known to take less effort than frowning and often described as the best medicine for promoting positive mental health. Look at this article – http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.h
• Realise you create your own reality – know that with every thought you  have, you are either getting closer to or further away from what you want.  You create the reality you live in! What reality are you creating for yourself? Positive thinking and goal setting will allow you start building a positive mindset that move you towards a positive reality.
•  Have a positive mantra when you feel down. Have a word ie “strength”, or a line ie. “I can do it”, “It will be ok” , “Be positive & strong”, that you can repeated when you need a boost- this must have positive meaning for you. This will create a positive mindset and allow you to find the strength or courage you may need. This seems simple, but is surprisingly very powerful.
•  Set goals for yourself! This is key in creating a road map for yourself in different areas of your life. Where are you now- where would you like to be? The goal can fill this gap, it can give you direction, motivation and something to measure success against.
•  Have positive inspiration board at home or work- this can be a physical pin board or an electronic pin board like Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/  The more creative the better! You can create boards for different areas or goals like- personal, holiday, home, work- what inspires you?
• Surround yourself with people who uplift you. This is key when feeling low. Positive people will gives off positive ideas and attitudes and this is quite contagious! In a good way…
• Have gratitude. This requires reflection and thinking about positive things.
•  Create healthy habits ie. Sleep, diet & exercise. Our basic physiological needs and whether they are met in a healthy way will have a big impact on how we feel!
•  Realise you control your reactions! You are the master of your thoughts and feelings! Start acting like you’re the master- take control through self reflection, become aware of what triggers off certain negative feelings in you. Avoid or control these situations and start replacing them with positive thoughts and interactions.
•  Random acts of kindness – kindness towards others and being altruistic is known to boost wellbeing!
•   Music- the universal language that can boost our mood. Choose music that speaks to you in a positive, uplifting way!
•   Use positive language- simple and effective.

I always refer to this wonderful anonymous quote about thinking-

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny

HAPPY POSITIVE THINKNING!!