A little secret from my past, is that I used to be a terribly negative person. I was cynical, a bit sarcastic, and always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
If that is you, this will be a valuable resource, or maybe you’re thinking, “This describes some of my friends,” then keep reading.
No matter where we are in our personal journey, we always have room for improvement…I know I do!
Here are 5 practical ways that I personally used to dig myself out of the vicious cycle of negativity:
1. Podcasts/Books – Ok, so back when I dealt with all of the negativity, podcasts weren’t really a thing, but the fact that we have access to personal development and just about everything we need at our fingertips via both podcasts & books/audiobooks, there’s no reason not to work on ourselves just about anywhere!
2. People who have influence in your life – This is a recurring theme in my blogs and podcasts. If we are who we hang out with, and if people know us by the company we keep, shouldn’t this be something we have a serious discussion with ourself about on occasion?
It’s incredibly difficult to be the person God called us to be when we have detractors, those with little joy, positivity, passion, or a desire to understand their purpose constantly speaking into us. Change your friends, change your life!
3. Gratitude – This one is my favorite. It’s one of the simplest steps we can take to ensuring an outlook of optimism and joy. Thinking thoughts of gratitude is a start, but if you want to watch something, almost magical happen, speak and write it out and just watch what will happen to how you view yourself, the word around you, and other people.
It’s pretty much impossible to live in a state of gratitude and stay negative. So brass tacks: grab a journal and write out at least 5 things you’re incredibly grateful for every day! If you’re out of practice and struggling to get going, let me help:
I’m thankful for the breath in my lungs
I’m thankful for the blood flowing through my veins
I’m thankful that I can move my body
I’m thankful I can serve others and speak life into them
I’m thankful for eyes that get to see this beautiful world
>>>In honor of my 50th coming soon, my Energy Jumpstart is now 50% off!
4. Watch your mouth! – We have roughly 80,000 thoughts daily, and somewhere around 50,000 of them are negative. That means we have to really focus on the internal dialogue we have with ourselves daily so we can shift the ruts we’ve created in our neural pathways to the direction of speaking life to ourselves. Two books I strongly recommend for this are “Winning the War in Your Mind” by Craig Groeschel and Believing Bigger by Marshawn Evans Daniels.
When you find yourself starting to speak words that put you down, reroute those words and give yourself and action step to change where you are.
Example: “I hate the way I look. I’m so fat and lazy.” Reroute: I’m going to improve my energy and body composition by working out X amount of days and eating whole foods. I’m proud that I’m about to take steps to improve myself inside and out!
That, my friend, holds tremendous power! You may feel silly, but say it out loud and write it down. You will be amazed at how your attitude about yourself changes over time!
5. Expect amazing things – I mentioned before that I used to struggle with negativity. One of the things I had to work on was to begin to expect something amazing to happen!
Instead of looking for the bad, I began to actively look for the good. Sounds simple, but it works! Before I knew it, great things were happening to me. Magic? Or were my eyes opened to the good because I was looking for it and finally able to see what was happening all around me?
When you do this, you may find those blessings in the areas of finances, relationships, open doors of opportunity, and so much more!
There is goodness and blessings everywhere. Open your eyes, expect it, look for it, and be ready to express gratitude for it!
As always, thanks for reading. I pray you’re inspired and encouraged to make your next birthday or milestone one that you simply can’t wait to experience!
Lisa
