A Quick Tip for Thinking Positively
This is a short, impromptu blog entry - something I couldn't wait to share. It's just me outlining a quick tip that influences the way I think: one that is REALLY EASY to start doing straight away!
I've been using this tip subconsciously for a long time, but a recent experience I had became a great personal analogy for me to share this tip with you.
Something I am currently reflecting on in my life is my routine - my daily habits. In order to achieve my short-term and long-term goals, I want to set myself up accordingly.
I'm evaluating my current routines through my self-made Habit Tracker (I'll post an example below). The idea is that I list the habits I know I have and want to track, and I simply tick whether I performed this habit or not during a certain time period (I'm tracking mine weekly).
I wanted to group these habits somehow, so I could better analyse my behaviour patterns. I decided that grouping them into 'Good Habits' and 'Bad Habits' was the way to go.
Bad habits... hmm.
Immediately I didn't like the sound of that.
Yes I want to improve my habits, but I don't want to admit that I have bad ones! No no no no no! And to fill in this Habit Tracker EVERY WEEK?! Recognise that I'm doing something bad REPEATEDLY? Nah you're alright mate!
But..... I really wanted to do this Habit Tracker! So I pondered, how could I achieve the outcomes I wanted, without having to feel bad about needing to improve?
The way is in the language I was using: the wording of the groups.
I renamed the groups "Habits to Reinforce" (good ones) and "Habits to Reduce" ("bad" ones). This way, the habits are not being judged as right or wrong - they are simply the data I need to achieve my analysis.
Do you see what I've done? I've shifted my brain over to a more positive outlook, which will make it much easier to commit and focus on the actual purpose of this! I want to know where I need to improve, but I don't want to feel like I'm the worst person in the world. I'm not trying to know if I'm good or bad, I just want to know my stats.
Thanks to my language, I'm BACK ON TRACK!
Goals become much easier to achieve when you have a positive outlook on them. The things you tell yourself - the words you are using in your everyday life, that are the foundation of your thinking - can either be the biggest help or the biggest hindrance.
We're always using language in our heads: in our speech; when we think and when we feel. If we fill our personal dictionaries with positive words, we can conjure a circle of encouragement and fulfilment around everything we do. And we are one hurdle over the race to SMASH our goals!
So I encourage you to keep this fresh in your mind. Can you rewrite your mind's dictionary? What words can you use instead, in order to think more positively? Take ownership of your dictionary - take ownership of your positivity!
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Example: "Habit Tracker"
