Positivity Is a Practice

Positivity is a practice… are you practicing? Below are 8 ways to practice positivity. 

1 - SAY IT TO YOURSELF

Oprah once said, “What we dwell on is who we become.” You bring energy to you and the great news is you can choose which type of energy you attract. If you want to be positive… stop telling yourself you are not a positive person. Some of you may know about my “I’m a Star” Jumps. They are similar to jumping jacks (except your arms and legs go out at the same time) and as you jump up you shout “I’M A STAR!”

It is my fast-fix to positivity. It allows you to move and do something silly which immediately lightens the mood and it gives you a chance to tell yourself something positive. If “I’m a Star” jumps don’t do it for you, select a different positive affirmation that aligns with what you need to hear. The point is when you tell yourself something positive, you start to believe in the positive! 

2 - SIMPLIFY IT

I am sure you have seen the tweet that has made it’s way around the internet:

“My 3yo said she wanted to be an astronaut, and I said she has to study hard, go to college, learn a lot of science, and take a physical fitness test, and she shrugged and said, “That’s just 4 things.” So she’s basically a nonchalant motivational speaker.”

She is right! As adults, we make things feel outside our reach. Simplify it. Make it accessible. And then do it. When we overcomplicate things we can easily default to the negative. 

3 - BE OBJECTIVE ABOUT THE NEGATIVE

It is easy to get worked up about the negative. Do yourself a favor and when that negative thought starts creeping into your mind ask yourself the following questions:

-Is it true?
-Are you 100% sure it is true?
-If it is true, why is it bad?
-How does believing it is true influence your behavior?
-What would happen if you let go of that thought?

Typically it is either not true, not bad, or letting it impact you just makes it worse. Do not let your imagination run amok. When you do, you become the victim instead of the creator. 

4 - GET SOME SLEEP

The majority of times a leader shares a mistake they made it correlates with them being tired and feeling like they haven’t had enough sleep. You know you show up better when you are well rested. Do yourself a favor and go to bed. The laundry, dirty dishes, to-do list, and email will still be there tomorrow. I promise. I track my sleep with my Apple Watch on an app called SleepWatch. It helps show me how much I am actually sleeping and gives me the data to keep me on track. 

5 - DRINK SOME WATER

You know you should. You know it helps. It will clear your mind and increase your focus. When you feel better it is much easier to choose to be positive. This is literally the easiest thing to do, yet so often we don’t do it. Get yourself a cute water cup to keep at your desk or carry around with you. My sister is recently obsessed with this one and I don’t go anywhere without my S'well. 

6 - EAT SOME REAL FOOD

Are you drinking a cup of coffee for breakfast? Heating up something processed in the microwave for lunch? Picking up food for dinner? You want to be positive? Do something positive for your body and your mind and make yourself something healthy. Not only is the act of cooking cathartic, but putting fresh food into your system will help you practice your positivity. When you feel sluggish from your sugar crash or your carb-filled lunch you will find yourself de-motivated and focused on the negative. When you feel full, healthy, and full of energy, your positivity is more accessible. 

7 - DON’T LET A BAD MOMENT BECOME A BAD DAY

My husband said something that angered me on our walk the other day. I got all huffy and puffy and crossed my arms. He let me stew for a few minutes and then said, “How long are you going to be in a bad mood?” I was choosing to extend my frustration. That isn’t helpful to me, him, or our relationship. We have bad moments. You spill your coffee. You break your favorite serving dish. You forgot to pick something up while you were at the store. You take the last shower and there is no hot water left. You burned dinner. These all feel like bad moments but we usually allow them to hijack our entire day. Give yourself permission to have a bad few minutes. Then be done with it and, as my 4-year old nephew says, “turn the day around!"

8 - PROMOTE WHAT YOU LOVE 

Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate. It is easy to complain. When you find yourself complaining, don’t chastise yourself for that complaint. Turn the conversation into promoting something you love. You are annoyed your kids didn’t clean up the family room and now you are doing it at 10pm? Say (out loud), “I am going to be so happy to wake up to a clean house tomorrow!” You are frustrated you didn’t finish your to-do list at work? Say (out loud), “I am so proud of the progress I made on _____ today.” 

Believe in the power of positivity. You have the opportunity to craft the version of you who shows up. If you get to choose - choose to be positive.