Negativity is something that everyone faces. And it can be absolutely debilitating.
I suffer from negativity at times.
I would also say that I am one of the most positive people I know.
I keep my posts on social media very positive and optimistic.
I am positive and friendly in communications with clients.
I have healthy personal relationships. I try to maintain friendly and optimistic communication even during challenging times.
Why is attitude important?
There is a saying that your attitude determines your altitude. That means that your attitude is an important factor in determining whether you will be successful.
Doesn’t it seem like some people are just determined to have a negative attitude? It seems like whatever happens, they have a negative attitude about it.
And being around someone who is negative all the time feels like having your soul sucked out through your nose. It’s painful!
I generally try to avoid people like that.
One of my secrets is that I spend a fair amount of time alone. Most of my work, aside from the time spent with clients and team members, is alone. It helps me to concentrate better.
That said, I spend about 4 hours a day in meetings with clients and team members.
I understand that some people like the interaction and engagement with other others. And that’s fine. If that’s the case, and you find you are not making progress on important projects, then it might make sense for you to add someone to your team with a positive attitude who enjoys working alone and has a track record of implementing projects.
You might be interested in improving your attitude. Maybe this is the year you decide to become more positive and optimistic.
Here are 4 Tips to Become More Positive:
1. Write a gratitude list daily
Make a list of things you are grateful for. That might be people, or opportunities, a company or a product. It might be nature or a good book.
2. Take a break from the news
It seems like in today’s age it’s difficult to avoid the news. I remember when you had to wait all day till 6pm to get the news. Now, there is a steady stream of news minute by minute on TV, the radio, podcasts, streaming video on YouTube and notifications on your phone.
Plus, people talk about the news more often. You can’t go onto Facebook or Twitter without seeing some type of news story being discussed and debated.
It’s not healthy to have 24 access to news. You need to shut off the news in all forms for periods of time. This might include morning, evening and your productive times of day.
That means shutting off all electronic devices, except for your computer and then getting down to business.
In the mornings, consider meditation, a practice for centering yourself. In the evenings, read a good book with all devices off. Or read on your Kindle.
Tim Ferriss suggests a strategy for having “Device Free Saturdays” where he leaves his phone at home.
Experiment. Find out what works for you.
And by the way, when you get together with friends, agree to shut devices and focus on interacting one on one. Be present.
3. Read Affirmations
I love affirmations. I’m not the best at saying on top of reading my affirmations daily.
But, I come back to affirmation especially during challenging times.
Affirmations help to reprogram your brain. And that’s something you need to do periodically. All of the forces of the world are trying to influence you.
You need to take control and craft the life you want.
4. Develop Positive Habits
Becoming the person you want to be comes down to establishing positive, healthy habits.
And that means identifying and eliminating bad habits.
Habits are the building blocks to achieve your goals.
Determine what actions you need to take and then build daily habits around those activities.
And those could be work habits, but they could also be personal habits.
For example, I have a habit of doing yoga for 10 minutes each day. I do that consistently day in and day out. I miss a few days here and there, but by and large, I make it happen each and every day.
And the habit also makes it more likely I will do additional stretching and also take a daily walk.
Positive habits tend to build and reinforce other positive habits.
Your Turn.
Is this the year you make a shift toward positivity?
Are you ready to embrace and achieve your goals?
I want to create a little accountability for you.
Pick one of the strategies above and email it to me. Let me know what you plan to do to become more positive.
Or pick a different strategy. Come up with one on your own.
I want to hear from you.
What are you going to do to be more positive?
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