Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Henri Junttila of Wake Up Cloud.
“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Have you ever wanted to be more positive? Have you ever been frustrated with the negativity that your thoughts seemingly force upon you?
I think we’ve all been there, but the good news is that you can do something about how you feel. You see, the emotions you have are there because of the thoughts that precede them. Changing your thoughts is very similar to changing your habits, any habit. If you want to start eating healthier or become a minimalist, it all starts with the first step.
And it’s probably going to be hard in the beginning, because you’re trying to change something that you’re used to, and that your body is used to. However, after 3 to 4 weeks, you can start to feel comfortable in the new you.
This is exactly the process you can follow to change your thoughts and supercharge your life with positivity:
1. Read
Read books that inspire, encourage, and motivate you. It doesn’t really matter if you already know what the book is all about. What matters is that you continually feed your mind with positive and inspirational material. The more time you can spend in the land of the positive, the better. You gradually increase the amount of time that you are positive. And if you keep doing this, you will eventually become one of those happy, positive people that can handle any adversity.
2. Listen
The second thing I personally really like to do when I’m taking a walk, washing the dishes, or cleaning the house is to listen to audio programs. Some great authors that I personally enjoy are Brian Tracy, Earl Nightingale, and Jim Rohn. They’re all old timers when it comes to self-help, and they know what they’re talking about. Even listening for 30 to 60 minutes a day will make a big difference in your life within a year.
3. Focus
While this might sound overly simplistic, most people don’t do it, which is to focus on the positive instead of dwelling upon the negative. Most people concentrate on the problems at hand instead of the solutions. It has been shown that most of our worries never even happen. That means that you are worrying and making yourself feel stressed out for no reason at all.
Next time you feel the negativity come on, flip it over and think about the positive aspect of it and what you can do about it. For example, instead of asking “Why me?” or “Why am I so unlucky?” ask yourself “What can I learn from this?” and “How can I turn this around?”
4. Release
There are some great ways to release negative thought patterns and negative beliefs. Some of my favorites are EFT, The Work, and Sedona Method. I recommend you try one of the methods above. I personally really enjoy working with EFT right now, which is short for Emotional Freedom Techniques. The more negativity you can release from your life the more peace you will feel inside and the more positive you will be.
5. Habits
What kind of habits do you have right now that cause negativity in your life? What would your life look like if you started to change them? When we make the decision to change a habit, it almost happens by itself, but you have to be determined to make it happen.
As I said above, changing your thoughts is like changing any habit in your life. It’s not going to be easy, but then again, feeling bad all the time isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
6. Goals
The majority of people never set any goals. I know that it can be scary to decide on where you want to go, and you want to leave your options open, but nothing happens until you get clear about where you want to go and what you want to do. It doesn’t matter if your goals change. In fact, that’s normal, and one of the reasons why you should keep tweaking your goals as the seasons change.
One of the best ways to set goals is to use the S.M.A.R.T criteria, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Timely
Your goals will give you focus and purpose, so make sure you set goals in each area of your life. The most common areas are health, relationships, career, and personal development.
7. Passion
I’ve noticed that since I started following my passion and moving towards the life of my dreams, the positivity in my life has magically increased. Most people are doing things they don’t want to do, and they never even take a step towards finding and going after their passion.
Don’t let this be you. Go after your dreams, even if it means only being able to put aside 10 minutes a day. If you start today, you can build upon what you have, but if you keep putting it off, it will never happen.
Increasing the positivity in your life is simple, but not easy. You have to take responsibility and make it happen, because no one will do it for you.
***
Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud. If you liked this article, you may also enjoy one of his top articles: 77 Great Quotes That Will Change Your Life.
Kent Julian says
Awesome post, Joshua!
Every step you share is powerful, but I’ve found that step #2 (listening) has been the most powerful in my life. The more I listen to optimistic and self-development recordings, the easier it is to see life through optimistic lenses.
In fact, here’s a real life example of the practical outworking of such positivity:
http://liveitforward.com/does-positivity-really-matter/
Thanks for sharing, Joshua. This post is so good, I tweeted it for you!
Daniel Hall says
Just stumbled upon this blog a few days ago and I’ve really been needing this! Just trying to figure out how to raise my boys better and bring peace to my house amidst the mountain of toys and clutter in general in my house. This particular entry was very helpful to me right now and thanks for sharing! Keep it coming!
Henri says
Hey Daniel,
I’m glad the post helped you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
Chris Barba says
This is a great post Henri. What I love so much about it is that each way is simple and applicable, yet powerful enough to reach that tipping point.
Focusing the positive instead of obsessing over the negative can make a vast difference. Of the top 24 most commonly used emotional words in the English language only six of them are positive!
I’m a fan of solution focused therapy, which helps us focus in on those bright spots of our life and build off of them.
Yet I still catch myself focusing in on and building off of the adverse. Stress builds off stress and before I know it, in a 10 minute span I’ve made myself absolutely miserable.
I think your absolutely right. Instead of asking “why me” ask “what can I learn from this.” Love your fate. Whatever happens look as it as any opportunity, a challenge.
Great insight Henri.
Cheers!
Henri says
I had no idea about the 24 most commonly used emotional words. You learn something every day.
Negativity and challenges can all be made useful as springboards and signposts toward what we want, but focusing on them does us no good.
Keep rocking and thanks for stopping by, Chris!
Rob says
Great article.
I find that a positive step you can take is stop listening to the negative people. In our workplace I used to be one of moaners, but when I realised how depressed that was making me, I started to make changes. One of those changes was to stop joining in the moaning conversations. Now I sometimes catch the odd moan from my colleagues but i never join in.
I can see how being subjected to constant moaning can really impact on your positivity.
Rob
Henri says
Hi there Rob!
And I’d add to that to stop listening to the negative voice in our heads. It all begins with the most simple changes.
Keep rockin’, Rob!
Kristi says
Good morning Henri! Just finished reading your post. Great to see you guest posting! You make some powerful points to jump-start a journey towards more positive energy in our lives. I guess the one that jumped out at me the most was was Release. I have been working at this for the past several months, intensely. And since becoming aware of the power of limiting beliefs in my life, I have committed myself to rooting these beliefs out and planting powerful new seeds of positivity! The results have been amazing and fascinating!
A short example of how quick it can happen. Yesterday I was feeling really low for some reason. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and forget everything. In my logical mind I knew it wasn’t the best thing, but I was so down and feeling depressed that my body hurt. As I was laying there, I began to realize that I had allowed many negative, depressing thoughts to pile up on me the past few days. Then I pulled out some writing that I had done on positive energy and the like. I made myself browse through a few pages and after about 15 minutes, I started to feel physically better. Then a few moments later I began to have my normal creative flow return. I was so shocked at how quickly I had been able to switch the current from negative to positive and the rest of my day was so much better!
I know it’s not always that simple or easy, but because I took action right away, before the tide of debilitating thoughts swept me out to the sea of depression, I was able to turn things around and reclaim my day! In the past, that scenario could have led to several wasted days of feeling awful…
Sorry so long, but just had to share this example of how I supercharged my day with positivity! It’s a powerful tool, we just have to use it!
Thanks for the great writing Henri!
Talk soon…Kristi M.
Henri says
Hey Kristi!
I couldn’t agree with you more. Something I like to do is watch a funny movie, TV series, or my favorite: listen to audio programs on positivity, success, and spirituality.
On top of all that, I of course enjoy using tools like meditation, EFT and the like.
Your comment was the perfect length. Thanks for sharing that :)
Living the Balanced Life says
I think Focus is huge. What you focus on expands. Focus on negativity, and it seems to grow and expand in your mind. If you shift your thinking to positive thoughts and focus on those, they will grow and expand instead.
Great post, Henri!
Bernice
Does having less stuff make life easier?
Henri says
Hey Bernice,
Thanks for stopping by and reading. I really appreciate it!
I couldn’t agree with you more. Shift your focus and your life will change.
Julie says
I have been hearing about EFT over the past few years–there must be something to it. Any basics of it that you would share with us?
Henri says
Hey Julie,
The best advice I can give you is go to EFTUniverse.com and download their free guide. I also really like Tapping.com because of the videos and worksheets there.
Hope this helps!
Joshua | The Minimalists says
Henri,
I agree with all seven points, especially the final one: passion. I would also add an eighth item to the list: contribution, which, at least for me, is the best way to supercharge your life with positivity (viz. by supercharging others lives with positivity). Perhaps #3 (Listening) is part of this—and is often the impetus of real contribution—but I think it goes beyond that. Wouldn’t you agree?
Going to check out your site—Wake Up Cloud—today.
Take care,
Joshua Millburn
Henri says
Hey Joshua!
I couldn’t agree with you more. Contribution is a huge thing for me, although often when people truly find their calling in life, it is something that is beneficial for everyone involved.
I guess that’s the beauty of going after your passion and following your purpose ;)
Cheers!
Wayfaring Wanderer says
Terrific article with simple & easy to follow advice. I’m a pretty positive person in general, but we all have bad days or fall into ruts. I like that this pointed out the EFT method because most people have no clue what it is. I’ve been using this technique for a couple years, it works great to change thought patterns–not to mention many other things too.
Thank you for sharing this post :D
Henri says
EFT is very powerful when applied consistently. I first bumped into it when I was 16, and I’ve been using it on and off ever since (8 years now).
Thank you for reading!
EFT says
Yeah right, most people really do not understand what is EFT actually. By the way, i’m looking for good EFT resources so i can learn more, can you give me some of your resource? Thanks!
Lisa Cherry Beaumont says
Hi. I particularly like Focus, Release and Passion. I’d also like to add “Be Kind”. :o)
Henri says
Right on! There’s nothing like giving positivity to get it.