Passion Unleashed:
Solopreneurship!
# 3 Positivity Breed Possibility
6 tips to Maintaining a Positive Mindset
Published Date
2 December 2024
Author
Michelle Knight,
The Life Passion Coach
Category
Mindset Transformation
Today, I’ll be talking about how mindsets can impact your outcomes. I want to emphasize how beneficial it can be to have a positive mindset. Also, I will be giving you 6 free tips and tricks you can try to help you maintain a positive mindset. To find out more, you’ll have to read on.
Bonjour mes amis et bienvenue! I am The Life Passion Coach, Michelle Knight. I’m a semi-retired solopreneur digital nomad, a passport stamp collector and an avid reader and motorcyclist. Today I want to talk to you about how beneficial it can be to have a positive mindset. Also, I will be giving you 6 free tips and tricks that you can try, to help you maintain a positive mindset.
Mindsets can impact your outcomes by determining the way you think, feel and even physiologically respond to some situations. Your thoughts create your emotions, and your emotions dictate what actions you take. Your actions then determine your results. A positive mindset leads to success, while a negative mindset leads to failure. Positivity breeds the possibility of success, therefore, it’s important to develop the right mindset in order to achieve success.
There have been many studies over the years about how positive thinking and positivity overall can have a beneficial impact on many aspects of our lives. According to the Mayo Clinic, for instance, positive thinking and optimism can provide critical beneficial impact, including:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress and pain
- Greater resistance to illnesses
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke
- Reduced risk of death from cancer, respiratory conditions, and infections
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
Now, I know it’s not always easy to stay positive, and I acknowledge that it isn’t always easy to change your thought patterns. So, here are 6 tips to help you maintain a positive mindset:
- Notice and reframe negative thoughts. At first, you may not even be aware of your negative thoughts.
- Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself the same way you would treat a loved one close to you.
- Switch off negativity and tune into positivity – switch off the news and other media; tune into positive podcasts.
- Practice gratitude. Take time to acknowledge the good things in your life.
- Do something good for others. Volunteer work or giving back always helps to feel better.
- Laugh! – I have always said that laughter is the answer to everything.
Let’s explore each one in more detail:
Notice and reframe negative thoughts
At first, you may not even be aware of your negative thoughts. Start by using mindfulness to build self awareness – meditation can really help with this. You could pause and identify the negative thoughts.
Then challenge these thoughts by asking yourself if they’re truly accurate or if there’s a more positive and realistic way to view the situation.
You can try to replace the negative thoughts with more realistic positive ones. Alternatively, you can practise accepting rather than trying to avoid or deny negative thoughts. If you find yourself caught in a loop of negative thoughts, DO something to cause a break in your thoughts. For example, move your body, in exercise, for example a bit of yoga or go for a run. Or you could try some breathing exercises. But really this is a bigger topic which I plan to cover another day.
Be kind to yourself.
Treat yourself the same way you would treat a loved one close to you. Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else. Try thinking of a close loved-one and ask yourself would you say this to them? Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. But most importantly: Be Patient with yourself.
If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you.
Developing more positive thoughts is a gradual process. It involves practising self-compassion and replacing negative thoughts with constructive or supportive ones. Techniques such as journaling or Julia Stiles’ Morning Pages can help with this, and here is a key point to remember: The most important conversation you’ll ever have is the one constantly happening in your head!
Switch off negativity and tune into positivity
Turn off the news and other media sources that traffic in gloom and doom, that reward nastiness and negativity with air-time. Seek out positivity – Seek out alternatives that focus on taking action, on bringing about change. Alternatives such as podcasts by creative entrepreneurs (like myself) that begin with the notion that ‘you can do it’ and that ‘you have much to offer’. There are so many different options, there is bound to be something for everyone.
Seek out people who are only too willing to share ideas and resources, as well as offer support and acceptance. Go outside the ‘business as usual’ range of people that you often engage with. Be challenged. Be Stirred. Be inspired in unusual and different directions.
Practice gratitude
Take time to acknowledge the good things in your life. Cultivating a regular practice of gratitude will help you to become more positive, this could be a person, a job, a great meal with friends, or anything else that comes to mind.
Here is a little exercise I like to do every day with my husband while we go for our daily walk – I call it “The 3 Good Things Exercise”. The goal is to remind us to stay positive, even in the face of a bad day. We ask each other these two questions:
- What were the 3 best things that happened over the day?
- Reflect on your role, how did you contribute to those things?
There are many different ways you could remember to be grateful, you just need to find the one that works for you. For example, you could start a gratitude journal to write down 6 things you are grateful for each day.
Do something good for others
I know volunteer work or giving back always helps me to feel better. Sometimes it seems the more we give, the happier we feel. Volunteering also increases self-confidence. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. Some of my close friends are the volunteers I work with every year, and have done for years.
Laugh!
I have always said that laughter is the answer to everything. This has been my email signature for as long as I’ve been sending emails. Studies have shown that laughter can increase pain tolerance, improve blood flow and release endorphins, acting as an “internal jogging” that offers psychological and physiological benefits. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. By stimulating the release of endorphins, laughter helps reduce stress, anxiety and increases personal energy.
Fake laughter can be just as effective as real laughter. Laughing at things that hurt can be cathartic and serve as a way for people to regain control over situations that have left them feeling powerless. Even a chuckle after being admonished by a rude police officer can help you to let go of the small stuff.
That’s about all from me today. I just wanted to reiterate the key point to remember here is that your thoughts create your emotions, and your emotions dictate what actions you take. Your actions then determine your results. Therefore, if you can change your thoughts to positive ones, you can eventually change your results to positive ones too.
I’m still giving away FREE to you, one of my two Freedom Pursuit Checklists – either the “Nomad Nirvana: Your Starter Checklist to Freelance Freedom” or the “Side Hustle Serenity: Your Checklist to a Profit Partners Passion”. If you are interested in the details of the Freedom Pursuit Checklists, just go to my website and click on the button to fill out the form and receive the checklist you chose. Just remember, big change requires big support, and I’m here to help you through the transition from the rat race you’re running now to the passionate, fulfilled life you want for yourself.
Thank you for reading this BLOG post of the “Freedom Unleashed: Solopreneurship” Broadcast. Believe in yourself and trust the process. Always look for new opportunities and be open to change. Enjoy the journey and make the most of it. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Take the first step, embrace the journey, and rediscover the excitement and purpose that life has to offer. Until next time, stay passionate.
I will leave you with my final thoughts:
BDK – Be Brave, Be Different and Be Kind. Remember: Laughter is the answer to everything.
Je vous remercie et je vous souhaite une bonne journée.
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