This is part 2 of the ‘Detox’ series designed to help you focus on getting what you want.
It’s not rocket science that focusing your mind on what you want to achieve will without question bring positivity to you, your life and those surrounding you.
I’m a great believer in not moping around and most definitely not telling everyone that asks how I am, all my troubles. We each have our own set of life challenges...daily, weekly, monthly...it’s just a fact of life that we need to accept. The sooner we accept that we aren’t being dealt all the bad cards in the world, the better you will feel and the happier you will be. When people ask how I am I always respond ‘I am great thank you...how are you?’. Even if that is not technically correct, I am repeatedly telling myself I am great and the person asking gets a positive response...they really don’t want to hear you say ‘well actually, things are terrible, my life’s a mess, I hate my job, I don’t get paid enough, I work too hard, etc, etc’... Clearly we all need to unload on someone at some point...but let that be someone close to you, someone that understands you and can offer good sound advice...don’t unload on an unsuspecting work colleague that has no real interest and no way of being able to help.
There are those people in life that do focus on the negative and continue these thoughts on a downward spiral..quite honestly, I don’t need to be around these people, and neither should you.. it’s draining. I want to focus on an upward spiral. Sowing a seed of positive thought that leads to the next good thing and to the next and so on.
The key is to know what you want...and then understand how to get it. That involves talking to people that know, people that can help, people that can offer true positive, constructive advice. You need people that are going to support and encourage you to pursue your goal...read my post ‘Detox Your Friends’ if you haven’t already...
It’s not easy turning your mind into predominant positive thinking...it takes time to break the negative neuron connections in your brain and reprogram it with positive one. But we have to start somewhere...so what can all of us do to make this change? When it boils down to it, there are some very basic things you can do each day that will have a huge impact on your state of mind.
1) Smiling – If you spend all day looking sad...looking angry...looking serious...this is definitely going to have an impact on your mind...so why not do one of the easiest things possible...just smile...even when the chips are down and someone has asked you to do something you don’t particularly want to do or that you don’t enjoy. Attack it positively, smile and say... No worries at all, I’ll get that done. The more time you spend thinking about that fact you don’t want to do it, the less likely you are to complete the task or complete it with your best results...always strive to deliver your best...and it can start with a smile.
2) Writing Lists – I know I keep talking about lists but they are the best way to detox your mind. Having your mind cluttered with all the things you need to do, bills to pay, people to call, places to go, work to complete, can really get you down and can get you in a muddle. Writing things down confirms in your brain you have given them the thought you need and should allow you to rest easier...and sleep better. Never go to bed thinking about what you have to do tomorrow...write it all down before bed. If you must...have pen and paper next to your bed in the event you can’t sleep for thinking about something...write down your thoughts to get them out of your head.
3) Making some else’s day – This is something I believe in strongly. Don’t get wrapped up in your own world. Appreciate that others need to feel they are achieving and part of that is recognition. There will be at least 1 person a day that does something for you or something that is for your benefit. Alternatively, there could be someone that hasn’t necessarily done something, but when you think of them, it makes you feel better...so why not acknowledge this. Tell that person how great they are, how nice their perfume/aftershave is, how nice they look...compliments not only make them feel great but will make you feel good seeing their reaction.
4) Turn things around – Negative things happen most days...they key thing is to see positives in everything...even when it looks like there is no possible way to take something from a situation, you probably can if you look hard enough. You didn’t get that job...find out what the feedback is as to why, learn from it and ensure you don’t make the same mistake again. You missed a deadline at work...work out why, what impacted your workload, how could you have managed your time better, what will you change in order to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
5) Appreciate what you have – This has to be the easiest thing to achieve. Why not take the time to ‘smell the roses’ ....literally... why walk past flowers when you can stop and actually smell them. Why rush eating your meal to get back to your desk to carry on working when you can relax and enjoy each mouthful of food and drink...analyse it, how does it taste, what are the texture and smells? If you see a nice view while out and about...pause...appreciate it, store it in your mind so that you can recall the image in the future and remember how it made you feel...this could be as simple as a beautiful sunset.
If you really want to take it a step further, mediation and breathing exercises are one of the best ways to settle your mind and keep you calm. The more frequent you practice these, the easier it will be to flick the switch when something negative is happening...if you get a big project dumped on you at the last minute, the last thing you need to do is panic. Take 5-10 minutes taking deep breaths with your eyes closed. When you come to start the work, your mind will be quiet and you will feel ready to tackle anything.
Taking things a further step would be to participate in classes such as yoga, pilates or tai chi...no one can ever question the benefits these bring...they’ve been going for centuries. In the interest of practicing what I preach, I recently went to a yoga class...it was like playing twister for an hour...but at the end of it, my mind felt totally relaxed...i didn’t have a care in the world. Pilates next week...in for a penny, in for a pound as they say.
So you see, there is nothing here that is difficult to do. In actual fact they take no effort at all. Start with the 5 simple daily steps and I promise you not only will you start to feel happier, but those around you will notice a change in you and they will be on the receiving end of your positivity... who knows...it might just rub off on them and now you’re changed someone else’s life... I can assure you, with the feedback I have had from writing my blog, it’s an amazing feeling knowing you’ve had a positive impact on even just 1 person.
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