How to Have a Positive Mindset
How to Have a Positive Mindset
The human brain is a powerful and amazing thing. It can focus, it can plan, and it can remember. But sometimes the brain needs help to maintain a positive mindset when things go wrong. Supportive friends and family are vital in this situation, but there are also simple techniques one can use to counter negative thoughts whenever they enter your head.
Jonathan Osler San Francisco argues that negative thoughts can be a natural result of life, but that it’s important to learn to limit the negativity that has the potential to turn into depression.
Different people react differently when things start going wrong for them. Some people may respond best by taking a strategic approach, by seeking professional advice, or by contacting others for guidance and support. Others may find comfort in the self-help books that are available, or in the simple and important act of exercising.
Tips To Maintain a Positive Mindset
Here are a few tips Jonathan Osler San Francisco gives to maintain a positive mindset:
1. Avoid comparing yourself with others.
This is perhaps one of the hardest things to do, especially when you look at someone and think they have a better life, better problems or are more successful than yourself. But you will never feel positive if you are constantly focusing on how other people have what you don’t. If God has anything in store for you, it will come about in its own time.
2. Set reasonable goals for yourself.
Setting goals can be a powerful motivator. But setting unrealistic goals – like making a million dollars in the next three years, winning the lottery or becoming an Olympic champion, for example – can create disappointment and lead to depression. Setting realistic goals is much better.
3. Focus on what you have gained.
Even if you are in a current negative situation, focus on the positive things you have already achieved and believe that your future will be as good as they were. This will help to change your perspective and make you feel better.
4. Treat yourself with respect.
Self-esteem is very important to having a positive mental attitude. The more respect you have for yourself, the more likely it is that others will have it for you as well. So don’t make fun of yourself, even when it’s done with love, because no one else can criticize you like you can do yourself.
5. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Being busy is not a character flaw, it’s just a sign that you have lots of things to do. But it can also lead to procrastination and depression if you put off doing the things that are most important to you or need to be done. So prioritize, delegate and set aside small periods of time for the tasks that need completing now.
6. Take action.
Doubt is a sign of a negative mindset. If you doubt everything, you’ll never take action. Most of the time when we have negative thoughts, we don’t act on them. But if you do, there will be an immediate change in mood and attitude. So just get on with it!
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that even with the best advice, you still have to do the work required to turn your life around. Jonathan Osler gives this advice: “Count your life in smiles and not tears, in friends and not enemies, in positive experiences rather than negative.”