We’ve all heard it before: be positive! In today’s world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, stressed out, and negative. And when you’re feeling down, nothing is more annoying than being told to look at the positive. Countless studies have documented that optimism and the power of practicing positivity can have a profound impact on psychological and physical health. That said, positivity is a powerful tool that you can use to enhance both your professional and personal life, so today lets talk about making positivity work for you.
Optimism:
For starters, being positive isn’t just for the overly optimistic. Oprah.com says that optimists “know how to bounce back.” [1]
Everyone is faced with adversity at some time but people who focus on the positive are better equipped to bounce back from adversity and improve.
Consider this: when faced with a setback, if you assume there’s nothing that can be done to overcome it, then you never will. However, believing that a better outcome can be secured gives you the opportunity to actually secure it. Optimism and approaching adverse situations with hope is a powerful way to use positivity. You never know what can happen until you try!
Possibilities: An important mindset for positivity is the sense of possibility. Imagine yourself in this challenging scenario: your company goes under, or you’re passed up for a promotion. It’s easy to lose sight of the possibilities that still exist even when things go wrong.
While moving on to a new company can be scary, sometimes a big change is needed so that you can grow and improve.
Where you might miss one promotion, perhaps a better opportunity is around the corner. Embrace the possibilities that are open to you rather than focusing on what things didn’t work.
Believe in Yourself: It’s hard to embrace possibilities, however, unless you believe in yourself and your own abilities. After all, if you don’t believe you will succeed, it will be difficult to feel motivated to take action and move forward. By the same token, positive visualization has the opposite impact: making things that seemed impossible feel more possible. Believing in yourself can be easier said than done, but here’s a few tips.
As mentioned, positive visualization exercises can help you get into a positive mindset and convince yourself that you can. Taking time for self-care and setting boundaries are good practices for self-respect, which can also help build confidence. Setting goals and working towards them, and giving yourself credit for what you do can all lead to positive outcomes at work and at home . And lastly, self-talk! You’d be surprised how much positive self-talk can help.
The power of positivity and optimism can make a big difference in your life today.
When things don’t go as planned, don’t beat yourself up about it; take advantage of positive thinking to move on and past the setback and into a better future.
As Winston Churchill once said, “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. [2]