Five Steps to Make Your Day Great!

Did you know the average person has 10,000 thoughts every day and 90% of them are negative? I remember a character in a movie I once saw (don’t remember which one, but I’ll never forget the line). She said “It’s easier to believe the bad stuff that people say about me.”

Most people think like that. It’s easy for us to believe the “bad stuff” about ourselves. Even the “bad Stuff” that others say about us, true or not. It’s sad, but true. And there is a reason. When we believe the “bad stuff”, we don’t take responsibility for it. It’s out of our control. Of course, then we don’t control the “good stuff” either. (…and that’s really bad.)

Negative thinking takes away our personal power. Ayanla Van Zant said, “Our lives are the result of the choices we make and don’t make. When we don’t choose, we live by default.” When we let negative thinking control our lives, we’re living by default. (…and that’s really bad!)

The good news is that it is possible to change. Below are five ideas to get you started:

1. Surround yourself with other positive people. You act like the 5 people you spend the most time with, choose wisely.

2. Start your day out right. Before you get out of bed in the morning, say to yourself. Today is a great day!

3. Turn negatives into positives. Write positive affirmations about yourself and your life and put them where you will see them every day.

4. Don’t strive for perfection, strive for excellence. You will make mistakes. When you do, learn from them and move on. You will never be perfect and who wants to be. Perfect is boring. Ick!

5. Pay attention to your thoughts. Catch yourself when you think in a negative way and consciously change the thought to a positive. Say it out loud if you have to. (that helps me sometimes.)

This isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s really hard, but it’s worth it! I challenge you to implement one of these ideas every week over the next few weeks and pay attention to the results. I bet that not only will you feel better, but the people around you will notice a difference too! Good luck!