Cleansing the mind for motivation

I am extremely lucky to be a member of a gym.  I've only just returned after a 2 year break but I'm back never the less and it feels great (after the initial aches!).  

Being on the treadmill this morning gave me the opportunity to let my mind go where it needed to.  It would think about what I need to do at work and how to achieve what I want over the next few months.  It would think of my family and friendships and how I'm lucky to have them.  Sometimes it would just go blank as I stare out of the window into the sunshine looking at the birds playing in the trees.  As I keep running it jumps to consider my body's performance and how it's amazing getting to the goal I set at the beginning of the workout.  It makes me incredibly mindful and of course, gets me fit.

For me, this time is utterly essential.  It's like spring cleaning your head.  I wouldn't start the workout with any agenda, nothing specific that I had to work out or think about, I'd just let it wonder.  It knows what's needed, the things that need thinking about as it does when it goes blank.  

So trusting my mind is important, knowing that it'll be so much better for it.  It gives me that positive motivation to face the day or week ahead full on, knowing I now stand a significantly better chance of achieving what I wish to achieve.

You might find other activities do the same for you. Yoga or Pilate's, swimming, walking.  All I would say is make sure you make time in your life to do these activities you enjoy as it will benefit you in so many ways.

Proof, if proof is needed

Quick experience I wanted to share:

Recently, I've been so lucky to have found a long lost Cousin. She lives over 100 miles away in - as good as - a different country but we keep in touch with Facebook.  Although much younger than me, she shares similar interests, hobbies and career aspirations as I do.

Earlier this week I couldn't ignore that she was struggling with a particularly bad day.  As any family member or friend I offered a shoulder and some suggestions on how she can work through that negative stuff.  I encouraged her to accept she might feel bad immediately after the event because we tend to be our own worst critic.   So step back from the situation and look at it for what it is - was it really THAT bad?  It wouldn't be hard to find and celebrate the positive parts and recognise you really are worthy in what you do.  The parts where you genuinely feel could have been improved are a golden opportunity to take action to get better and be the best at what you do.  So I encouraged her to use her own positive thinking and believe she can be as good as she wants to be.

The next day she was over the moon and left me a message "You was right... I kept positive and both performances today went AMAZING, so happy with the way I performed, wish you had the chance to see it".

I'm very proud of her as she created that positive energy herself and totally used it to her advantage.  Maybe it wouldn't have happened without the initial negative thoughts?  It certainly wouldn't have happened without her making the conscious effort to take control of it and turn it around.

This positive thinking can be pretty powerful stuff.

It's what it's all about

Positive Upload Day 2 has again been successful!

Challenges come what ever day it is.  So how did you get on?  It was a tough one for a few of us including me but have you noticed... we're still here and still smiling!

On 'PUD2' I was really interested to read a Facebook update of a friend - "If it wasn't positive upload day I may have vented on here just a wee bit!! I will resist!".  

This was great to see people are taking part and really letting the idea penetrate their life. But looking at the statement, there's an opportunity to take this to the next level if you want to feel the full benefit of the powerful Positive Thinking.

It's perfectly normal to feel your cage getting rattled and then wish to vent your anger.  What is important is that we control that energy and keep control of it.  Whatever situation has caused you to feel that way can not change.  I'm yet to find anyone who is actually successful in changing the past so you've got to accept it has happened.  There may be opportunities to change the future of the situation but you will need to understand your options and really want to do what you choose.  But in the here and now, when you feel like screaming at the top of your lungs, it's not going to make you feel any better.

For me, it's a case of putting that specific situation into perspective.  I too had a challenging day but my challenge was a minute part of my 'big picture'.  Putting it into perspective I have other huge benefits to my life such as a lovely warm safe house where my beautiful family live and were at home later that day to offer me comfort.  I have some amazing friends, take part in great hobbies, am fortunate enough to have holidays to experience the world, have healthy and extremely caring parents... the list goes on.  So, in my day, a couple of people who were being pretty fowl to me earlier melts away into insignificance when I know how life is pretty damn good for me really.

My situation is unique.  As everyone's is.  The combination of my family, friends, job, home, pets etc etc is totally unique to me as it is to you.  So the way you react and your list of positive things will be personal to you.  But that's another great positive thing about being human.  You are YOU and you're brilliant in your own unique way.  

That should put a smile on your face when things seem tough?

Positive Upload Day 2!

It's the second Positive Upload Day.  A day to be intent on feeling & being positive and sharing that positivity on line and with everyone you meet.  Being mindful of your positive attitude can have such a profound effect on your day if you set that expectation from the start.

Today at work I have an intense meeting about an incident that happened last Sunday.  I've been dreading it all week so I'm seeing it that having Positive Upload Day today is going to be a huge advantage to me.  

I'm going to keep my thoughts positive.  I'm wearing my favourite shirt, wearing my favourite fragrance, got the best tunes to listen to on the way in to work, when I get in the meeting I'll sit next to those I know and who will be mutually supportive.  I know with these and other simple proactive strategies I'll be fine and can even use the meeting very much for my advantage.  Some of it may well be challenging but I know it’s only for the morning and I know I have the strongest chance of being positive.  There is a great opportunity to learn and grow professionally from it which is a huge positive thing.

You’ll find you can use your own strategies for situations you may not have been looking forward to and turn them into positive experiences.

Enjoy your day today; you’ll have a positively great one!  Keep smiling and share your experiences with the friends you meet, on your Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Bebo social networks etc and of course at www.facebook.com/positiveupload

Affirmations predict the future

Affirmations - are they really worth it?  Simply yes, here's why...

Have you ever caught yourself saying things like 'see, I told you I'd break it' or 'I'll never do it, I'm just not clever enough' and then don't achieve what you were working so hard towards?  I do far too often.  It is so easy to talk yourself out of success, achievements, happiness, positivity when you might actually have been destined to get it.  But when we keep telling ourselves we won't get it eventually it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and we almost make ourselves miss out.  Negative thoughts tend to lead you to a lack of success, bad moods and dissatisfaction.

So, if you accept that theory then you will accept this too: telling yourself you're going to succeed, you'll achieve your goal, stay happy and positive eventually you believe it.  And as soon as you believe it... it becomes true.  Positive thoughts lead to positive actions.

Sounds simple but if you are not of a naturally positive disposition all the time or there are certain things you are not confident with, afraid of or don't understand, believing that positive outcome can be very challenging.

What can you do about it?

Affirmations are your own personal statements to remind you of your happy, positive achieving self.  To help you formulate yours think of this:  Firstly accept that some times things will seem harder for you than others.  You are - after all - only human and we're all different.  Then, focus on your strengths.  You have so many of them and you will have a list of achievements as long as your arm.  You can always get a close friend or family member to help you.  Thirdly, never accept defeat as the 'norm'.  Just because you failed something once or twice doesn't mean thats how it should always be?  Just because someone won £41m on the Euromillions doesn't mean they'll win it every week!  Learn from it and know that you can move on - your turn will come... it WILL!

Therefore, your affirmations can look anything like this-

• I have a great network of family and friends who really love and care for me
• I am an intelligent hard working person worthy of promotion
• The more love I give the more I receive
• I'm really good at writing excellent informative reports
• When I believe in myself so do others
• My life is fulfilling with different challenges every day
• My body is really well equipped to combat illness
• I am the perfect weight for the perfect me
• I am successful in what I do

Image by sema

The list should be personal to you and meaningful.  You could use an affirmation like "I have money in abundance" yet be horridly overdrawn with bailiffs at the door.  It's up to you how you frame it, it could be you are rich because of all the things you have that money can't buy or that you have the opportunities in front of you to achieve money in abundance so you might say instead 'I am on my way to achieving money in abundance'.  As long as it keeps you motivated and more importantly you believe it.

I keep mine on little cards - the size of credit cards and it a wallet.  No-one knows about them (apart from you) but I believe in what I've written and they help me to be positive, especially at times when I find it more challenging.

If you like, you can share some here or on the Facebook page.

Keep smiling, Thursday Feb 2nd the 2nd Positive Upload Day is only round the corner!