Life presents us with situations we did not predict or anticipate -- and that are beyond our control.
However, there is a power you possess that gives you almost unimaginable capability for a decisive measure of control.
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.” –Viktor Frankl
Your mindset can be what you choose it to be. This is a power you possess that cannot be taken from you. But you do have to choose. Will you choose a negative or positive mindset?
Therapists link negative thinking to depression, anxiety, chronic worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder. But, with the power of a positive mindset, you can experience greater self-acceptance and self-efficacy.
In other words, you will have the power - the capability, the competence - to successfully meet and find meaning in the situations you encounter.
Consider These Suggestions for Choosing and Maintaining a Positive Mindset:
1. Seek solutions. Looking for a solution is an optimistic perspective. Focusing on problems only drags down your mindset and mood. Those with a positive mindset expect to find solutions to their problems.
2. Choose. You get to choose your mindset. You might have a tendency to view the world in a certain way right now. However, you can choose to have a new mindset that better serves you.
3. Laugh. Life is short. There’s humor to be found in many negative situations. When all seems hopeless, humor can help get us through – and maybe even reframe the problem and reveal a solution we hadn’t yet seen.
4. Watch your language. What you say to yourself matters. The images and video you view in your mind and the words you say to yourself influence you. Positive self-talk leads to a positive mindset.
5. Guard your mind. We are constantly confronted with negative media. Negative input leads to negative output. It’s the harvest principle: what you sow, you will reap. Plant in the soil of your mind seeds of positivity, possibility and hope.
6. Be grateful. Gratitude is a big part of an positive mindset. You have to be in a positive frame of mind to feel gratitude. Gratitude is a great way to start and to end the day. Make a list of 3-5 things for which you are grateful.
7. Be in the moment. Stay present. Keep your focus on making progress in this very moment. Avoid worrying about the future or dredging up the past. Today. Now. This moment is what we have. “The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” — Abraham Maslow
8. Give. Giving your money and time as a volunteer involves you in the needs of others. In this process of giving, you receive - new perspectives about life, clearer vision of values you prize, and fulfillment in making the world a bit better.
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You can’t always control what happens to you.
But you can always control your reaction to the things that happen to you.
And how you choose to react to those things is highly influenced by your mindset.
Is it negative or positive?
You get to choose.
Resources
"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl
References
How to Turn Around Your Negative Thinking
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