Believe in the Positive

I’m sure we’ve all had our turn at disbelieving the power of positive thinking, and finding negative thinking to be more realistic.

In actuality, negative thinking is the lie that tells us that we aren’t smart enough or deserving in some way and to keep quiet during troubling times. These thoughts of perceived personal inadequacies, all stem from years of conditioning, and repetition.

Even worrying can become a fear based thought habit that can seem to help prevent bad things from happening, but actually just creates more anxiety, and takes away our peace of mind.

Usually, what we worry about doesn’t happen, so it’s just our mind telling us all kinds of fearful or self-defeating messages.

It’s unlikely we’ll be able to permanently prevent every negative thought or self-criticism from coming into our mind but when such thoughts do arrive, we can bring awareness to them.

We can remind ourselves that it’s just an old lie we’ve bought into, and we don’t have to believe everything we think.

In order to keep our mind calm, and trained to see the brighter side of life, there are many processes we can install to receive positive mental replenishment.

We’ve probably heard of many of these already such as meditation, reading positive literature, saying affirmations or reciting a regular mantra to reprogram our brain.

I would also add that surrounding ourselves with things that are aesthetically pleasing in our homes or enjoying outside activities such as sitting by the ocean, hiking a mountain, swimming in a pool or planting in the garden are just as mentally replenishing as well.

Additionally, keeping in contact with our family, friends and other supportive people who we feel wonderful spending time with can keep us upbeat and refueled too.

In spite of doing these optimistic practices, having a positive mindset will not save us from ever receiving bad news, or feeling sad.

However, having an optimistic mentality does provide us with more energy to engage in activities that bring us joy, and provides more opportunities to feel good a vast majority of the time.

It also strengthens our ability to ask for help when we need it, and helps prevent some of the pains associated with stressful thinking such as depression and hopelessness.

So, we get to choose on a daily basis to either listen to our unhelpful programmed beliefs, or defer to a more enlightened part of ourselves.

What helps you stay positive?

Retain Your Joy

Many situations can tempt us to allow our joy to be taken from us, such as an unkind comment or betrayal in a friendship.

Certainly, these scenarios can be confusing, and upsetting, which takes some time to process. However, what adds to the pain is feeling bad about ourselves or blaming ourselves for why others are acting in certain ways.

While no one is perfect, and we can unintentionally exacerbate a perplexing situation, we are not the cause of another persons choice in behavior. We all have a choice on how we respond to life, and in our relationships.

This includes the choice to not believe any negative thoughts we have about ourselves which can steal our joy as well.

Often, it is a blessing when challenges or discomfort occurs because it lets us know it may be time to move on, or stand up for ourselves or learn how to handle emotions in a less personally damaging way.

Staying positive preserves our happy spirit, contains our personal power, and boosts our energy needed to take the necessary actions we need to take.

We are stronger than we think, and have a bigger impact than we know. If we become discouraged or frustrated for too long, than we won’t make the positive impact we are called to make both individually, and in our world.

So, keeping our joy is not about denying that pain exists or being inauthentic in our responses. It is about not allowing ourselves to lose hope, or pleasure, and keeping focused on what is good and possible.

What helps you keep your joy?

 

 

 

Create a Peaceful Space

When we bought our first home several years ago, we spent many hours buying furniture and decorating each room. When we were finished, it felt really good to walk throughout the house, and see how our many choices came together so well.

Even though the house looked the same from the outside, the inside looked very different from the homeowners before us.

It got me thinking about all the joyful effort that goes into creating a wonderful living space, that perfectly reflects what is important to the people residing there.

We all have different preferences, tastes and styles that inspire us toward our particular selections.

Just as we give attention to our homes, its important to give attention to whats going on internally as well.

Below are 10 different ways to create a more peaceful internal living space:

 What would you add to the list?