One of the most powerful influences on your attitude and personality is what you say to yourself. It is not what happens to you, but how you respond internally to what happens to you, that determines your thoughts, feelings, and your actions. By controlling your inner dialogue, or your "self talk," you can begin to assert control over every part of your life.
Your self-talk determines the majority of your emotional life. The words that you use to describe what is happening to you, and how you feel about external events, will trigger the emotions of happiness or unhappiness that you experience. When you see things positively and you look for the good in every situation and in each person, you will become a very positive and optimistic person. Since the quality of your life is determined by how you feel moment to moment, you should make it a habit to only think and talk about what you want and keep your mind off of what you don't want.
You are constantly faced with challenges, difficulties, and problems every day of your life. They are unavoidable and one of the inevitable parts of being human. But as you draw upon your resources to respond effectively to each challenge, you grow and become a stronger person. When you look back over your life, you'll see that you are the kind of person that you are because of all the difficulties and problems that you have had to overcome in your life. Without those setbacks, you could not have learned what you needed to know to developed the character and strength that you have at this point in your life.
Much of your ability to succeed comes from the way you deal with life. Having a positive mental attitude is indispensable for success and happiness. It is the key to success in business, and it is vital to building strong relationships with other people. Everyone wants to be around a positive person with a cheerful attitude towards life. But no one wants to be around a negative person who is always pessimistic about everything. Your ability to develop and maintain a positive mental attitude, no matter what the situation may be, will play a critical role in any success you achieve.
One of the best ways to define a positive mental attitude is having "a constructive and positive response to adversity." It is only when you are confronted with a setback or adversity that you really know if you have a positive attitude or not. Anyone can be positive when things are going well. It is only when things are going against you, that you are able to demonstrate to yourself and others, that you have a positive character and personality.
One of the common characteristics of all high achieving men and women is that they recognize the inevitability of temporary setbacks and disappointments. They accept them as a normal and natural part of their life. They do everything possible to avoid problems, but when they come up, successful people learn from them and rise above them. They continue to move forward towards their goals.
Optimistic people develop the habit of talking to themselves in constructive ways. Whenever they experience adversity of any kind, they immediately describe it to themselves in a such a way that it looses its ability to trigger negative emotions. They are able to exert a sense of control by how they describe any event or situation to themselves.
There is a natural tendency in all of us to react emotionally when our expectations are frustrated in any way. When something we wanted and hoped for fails to materialize, we feel a temporary sense of disappointment and unhappiness. We feel hurt and disillusioned. We react just as though we had been punched in the "emotional solar plexus."
A person who is positive and optimistic is resilient and bounces back fast when he or she encounters a problem or setback of any kind. He or she responds quickly to an adverse event and interprets it as being temporary and only external. An optimistic person takes full control of his or her inner dialogue and counters any negative feelings by immediately reframing the event so that appears positive in some way.
Since your mind can hold only one thought at a time, either positive or negative, if you deliberately choose the positive thought to dwell upon, you keep your mind optimistic and your emotions positive. Since your thoughts and feelings determine you actions, if you keep your words and thoughts positive, you will automatically be a more positive person and move more rapidly toward your goals.
It all comes down to the way you talk to yourself on a daily basis. When a problem or difficulty comes up you must learn to change your language from negative to positive. For example, you should learn to use the word situation instead of problem. A problem is something you wrestle and struggle with. It represents a potential loss and difficultly. A situation, on the other hand, is just something that you deal with. The event is the same. But the way you interpret the event to yourself is what makes it sound and appear completely different.
An even better word to substitute for problem is the word challenge. When you are faced with a difficulty of any kind, instead of saying, "I have a problem," you should say, "I have an interesting challenge facing me." The word challenge is inherently positive. It is something that you rise to and that makes you stronger. It is again the same situation, only the word that you are using to describe it is different. As a result, your emotional response will be different as well.
The best of all possible words for any event or situation is the word opportunity. When you are faced with a difficulty of any kind, instead of saying, "I have a problem," you should say, "I am faced with an unexpected opportunity." Within ever difficulty or problem, there lies the seed of an equal or greater opportunity or benefit. If you focus your attention on finding out what the valuable lesson is, you will always find it.
You should start your day in front of a mirror saying affirmations, such as "I like myself," "I am the best," and "I can do it." These are personal and positive affirmations that will build your levels of self confidence and self-esteem. You should say these affirmations out loud in front of a mirror at least 50 times a day. By doing this, you will be driving these new positive thoughts deep into your subconscious. At first when you do this, you'll feel kind of funny doing it, only because your mind over many years has been programmed with so much negativity that it will take time to reprogram your mind with these new positive affirmations.
The hallmark of the truly successful and happy person is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The high achieving individual has the ability to continue talking to himself or herself in a positive and optimistic way no matter what the situation is. They are always calm, clear, and completely under control. As a result, they are able to exert a far greater sense of control and influence over their environment, and are less likely to be angry, upset, or distracted by problems or difficulties.
The starting point of becoming a more positive person is to monitor and control your self-talk every minute of the day. Keep your thoughts and words positive and consistent with your goals. Keep your mind focused on what you want and on becoming the person you want to be.
Remember that it is impossible to learn, grow and become successful without adversity and difficulties. You must rise above them in order to become a better person. So, welcome each difficulty as a learning experience and look into the situation to find something good or beneficial in it.
Always, keep your thoughts on your future and on your goals. Constantly think about the person you want to become. When things go wrong temporarily, respond by saying to yourself, "I believe in the perfect outcome of every situation in my life." Resolve to be cheerful and pleasant in every situation. Resist every temptation to respond to a situation negatively. View disappointment as an opportunity to grow stronger, and talk to yourself and others about it in a positive and optimistic way.
When you practice positive self-talk, and keep your words and your mental pictures consistent with your goals, nothing can stop you from being the success you are meant to be.
Copyright? 2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe's work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.
Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com
Read more articles and newsletters at: joe@jlmandassociates.com
Batchtown Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareI will never forget an evening in 2003, when I... Read More
With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it would be especially appropriate... Read More
You want to change your self-care habits and you can't... Read More
Have you ever dreaded an upcoming presentation, meeting or function... Read More
Do you realize that what we believe about ourselves, affects... Read More
There is a growing volume of research that shows' staying... Read More
1. Smile2. Laugh3. Greet people courteously4. Be enthusiastic5. Dream. Engage... Read More
Our thoughts define who we are. They can make us... Read More
By definition,an affirmation is a statement repeated time and again... Read More
Everyone faces challenges during their life, from suffering the death... Read More
Striving to improve our self esteem is on everybody's mind.... Read More
Ten tips to transform your move into a creative life... Read More
Turn brutality into kindness. There is no small deed and... Read More
The other day one of my "challenging clients" and I... Read More
If you think you are a loser, you train or... Read More
You know, very often, the manner in which a person... Read More
Need a way to make your life a better place... Read More
Once upon a time, I was a vibrant, youthful teenager...My... Read More
Recently, a dear friend who has been both a coach... Read More
Year after year I find more and more individuals saying... Read More
Most of what we've been taught about how to be... Read More
While trying to ignore my teen daughters rap music a... Read More
At some point in our careers, we may find ourselves... Read More
Your response (reaction?) to change is conditioned by your entire... Read More
Visualization is the art of using ones imagination to influence... Read More
shuttle from Midway Munster are ..You've probably heard this idea at one time or another.... Read More
In talking with a coaching client recently, she made a... Read More
The only constant is change. If theres one thing we... Read More
The infamous "glass ceiling" is blamed for business issues for... Read More
How you feel about yourself truly does affect your interaction... Read More
Humans tend to categorize things by large or small, bright... Read More
We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for... Read More
The universe is vast, it's dimensions inconceivable, it's potentialities unimaginable,... Read More
Many of the books on this page were inspired by... Read More
There are very many methods for achieving improvement to our... Read More
"We can change our circumstances by a mere change of... Read More
Barry was on the phone in his office, speaking with... Read More
"Work on your career and you'll make a living. Work... Read More
Every day that I eat EnergyRich? Food, I get almost... Read More
What is a paradigm? In my own words, a paradigm... Read More
Attitude, has a way of preening itself, often without awareness... Read More
In his all-time bestselling record The Strangest Secret, author Earl... Read More
? Make a list of all your accomplishments in life... Read More
How would your life shift if you moved into what... Read More
Lately, there has been a collective challenge to avoid being... Read More
There is no such thing as failure ? only feedback... Read More
Hey gang; Ok it's time to create some good habits.... Read More
Know your limits. Accept what you can't change and let... Read More
What's wrong with me? When I'm sick I get grumpy... Read More
Turn brutality into kindness. There is no small deed and... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |