Giving (Positive) Thought to Better Self Care
Many of us know that wanting something (such as better health or relationships or making ourselves a bigger priority in our own lives) and getting it are two very different animals. Wanting something just requires a thought, a wish. Getting it requires action. Wanting without action can turn to longing and resentment of dreams unrealized. In order to get what you want, you must either DO SOMETHING or DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Seems simple enough. So why do so many of us struggle with it?
It’s because taking action is often tied to other things we can’t see and sometimes don’t even realize are there. Things like attitudes and thoughts. We may put the blame on things we CAN see, like:
- Spouses
- Kids
- Parents
- Bosses
- Jobs
- Money
- Circumstances
It’s easy to throw around excuses. And everyone seems to relate. But when you start to look at your attitudes and thoughts, that’s when you start to see that you (not others and not your circumstances) have the ultimate power in turning what you want into what you have. Let’s take a deeper look.
Think of your attitude as your overall approach to life. Some people have a positive attitude and can see good from the darkest of situations. People with a negative attitude generally discount (or simply cannot see) any positive aspects of a situation. Many people fall somewhere between and depending on the situation may be more inclined to have a positive or negative attitude.
Thoughts include what you think about yourself, others, and the world around you. They are shaped by your underlying beliefs and your overall attitude. When we have recurring types of thoughts, they become thought patterns that drive what we say and do.
We can learn to retrain ourselves to have a more positive attitude by simply starting to notice our reactions to situations as they come up then consciously choosing more positive thoughts. Here’s some suggestions on how to do that:
- Write down thoughts you have about yourself and others in reaction to a stressful situation. Once you do this enough, you might start to see some of the patterns you have.
- Ask trusted people around you if they think you generally have a positive or negative attitude. Ask them for examples of things you say and do that leads them to think the way they do. Ask them to notice ways that you react that are both positive and negative. This way, you can gather what having a positive and negative attitude looks like for you.
- Keep a list of positive thoughts with you at all times. Take it out and read it aloud when you notice negative thoughts and a negative attitude creeping in.
To learn more about what keeps you from making yourself more of a priority in your own life, please join me for the first of my monthly FREE Telseminar series, “Beyond Bubble Baths and Massages: Making Yourself a Priority in 2012.” Simply go to the REGISTRATION page and enter your name and email to get signed up.
Photo: Believe !! © by girish_suryawanshi
