Are You Paying The Price Of Having A Negative Mindset?
“Changing how you view things isn’t easy. Throughout our lives, we are told that things are the way they are. At no point are we told that we have the power to change it. Today I am telling you; you have the authority to change your mindset and become more positive.”
– Robert Norman
Having a positive or negative mindset is simply a way of thinking. We take our thinking processes on as a result of our learned experiences, and over time they become habitual.
As a habit, we become accustomed to this internal process and seldom give it a second thought. We take out internal dialogue and our way of thinking as a given and as if we think that this is how everyone thinks.
We could have picked up these thinking methods from our primary caregivers, during our schooling process or from our surroundings. As children, we acquire these ways of thinking by simply surviving life experiences.
Here is a good talk by Eckart Tolle on Breaking the Addiction to Negative Thinking HERE
The Drawbacks of a Negative Mindset
Unfortunately, our way of thinking is almost addictive, and we can unconsciously gain something from it. For negative focused thoughts, perhaps we get to feel sorry for ourselves or seek sympathy from others when we think negatively.
Also, humans are naturally prone to focusing on the negative, whether we are aware of it or not. Perhaps it comes from our ingrained sense of self-preservation or our innate survival instinct. Due to our inherent focus on looking out for danger, we humans have survived this long as a species. It has been our unconscious search for problems that have sustained us as a species, all driven by the question, “Am I Safe?”
For the most part, this safety mechanism was necessary, but in a very different world. Ultimately, we always needed to look for what was going awry in our surroundings and with those around us. It helped us to survive for centuries, yet now, in some ways, we have evolved past this way of thinking.
Understand That Your Negative Thinking Actually Hurts YOU Most!
The problem with negativity or negative focused thinking is that it can significantly limit your potential for a quality life. These limitations can happen on many levels of existence. It can restrict your ability to move forward in life and accomplish the things and dreams that you wish to create.
The first step to changing your Mindset is to stop accepting negativity as a given processor that it is accurate or the “truth.” It is simply a perspective!
The Need for (Self) Awareness to Shift Your Negative Mindset
In this process of ridding yourself of negativity, one of your greatest assets will be simply increasing your own “awareness.” You need to significantly increase your awareness of both your thoughts and equally what you speak out loud.
A great place to start is to realize that every time you do one of these two things and focus on a negative outcome, that there’s always a listener! It’s paying close attention, and you’re not even aware of it.
The ever-present listener is your “subconscious mind!” It is the real powerhouse that keeps you alive and helps you create the life you dream of having. In essence, the thoughts and language that you verbalize are like affirmations, and you are effectively telling your subconscious mind what you think is important to you.
You must understand that that is how your subconscious mind will hear it. If you can view your subconscious mind in a similar way as you would see a faithful and obedient 2-year old, that it simply wants to make you happy! To accomplish this, it is looking for clues. It gets these from your thoughts and what you speak out loud. Oh, she wants to get sick, he doesn’t think he is smart! etc. I can do this! Simply understanding this should cause you to want to change your internal process – yesterday!
It is essential that you release negative thinking from your life asap and only focus on what you want.
Action Steps
Over the rest of this post, I will share some basic steps that you can take to overcome the unconscious habit of focusing on adverse outcomes. These methods will help you increase your awareness significantly, understand how your negative thinking is limiting your life and assist you to say no to negativity. By doing this, you will be able to will positively change your perspective.
Step one: Write Down Your Goals for What You Want in Your Life.
It would help you a lot if you get very clear about what it is that you want to create in your life.
Start by spending some time setting goals for the major areas in your life, such as:
- Health;
- Wealth;
- Relationships;
- Family;
- Friends,
- Contribution,
Something that will help you to set goals is knowing what you value most. Check out our post Here on being clear about your values
Set Clear Goals About What You Want to Achieve In All of These Areas
By crystallizing your goals, you will become more aware of what is essential for you.
It is common for people who focus on the negative aspects of life not to set goals as they feel they will never achieve them. When you set goals, start to become more aware of the thoughts that tell you that you’re not going to achieve them. Ask yourself where did this thought originate? Did someone tell me this? Another strategy is to ask yourself if there is an emotional wound that I’m feeling right now around this goal that is in my way of being successful?
Step Two: Turn Problems into Challenges
As we’ve outlined above, the words that you say to yourself are very potent. If you often find yourself engaging in negative thinking, start with something simple to make changes. Stop yourself mid-thought and say “Cancel, Cancel.,” Then replace whatever you were thinking with a positive thought focused on what you want to create.
If you can, try creating a list of all the negative comments that you find yourself using throughout the day. Then replace these words with more positive ones. For example, if you are always complaining that you don’t have enough money, replace these thoughts with it’s easy for me to make money, and the money is coming to me! Yes, this may seem like simple semantics, but the words that you use can have a deep-seated effect on your attitude and on your subconscious mind.
Furthermore, no thought goes unanswered. As I mentioned above, remember that your subconscious mind is always listening.
Step Three: Start your Day the Right Way (with the Right Attitude)
In the past, it was likely that when you awoke, you started the day with a negative mindset. For example, you might have thought about the dirty dishes or about the awful neighbor’s dog that kept you up at night.
It’s time to make it a new habit!
Say to yourself: “I release all negative thoughts as they do not serve me! I only focus on the positive things that I want in my life!
To further enhance ridding yourself of any negativity, it’s time to start new habits! Begin this as quickly as you can.
Start your days off as soon as you awaken by asking yourself the following questions:
- What am I excited about today?
- Who can I encourage or serve today?
- What am I grateful for today?
- What am I looking forward to today
- What is going to make me smile today?
By simply taking the time to think about the positive aspects of your life and being excited about life’s possibilities will completely change your outlook for the entire day. This process will then alter the trajectory of your day and who you can become.
Step Four: Find a New Way to Respond!
Naturally, negative people tend to use the word NO as their first response to anything new. This response is made in part to allow them to think about it before making a decision. Unfortunately, they end up defending their original ‘no’ decision, even when they might not have to.
As an alternative and more empowering response, rather than saying no, try saying, “I’m not sure; give me a minute.” Then find reasons to respond more positively!
Synopsis
If you find your life overshadowed by negative internal and external self-talk, you must take the necessary steps to eliminate it quickly from your life. Utilize these tips contained herein to initiate change and to help you say no to negativity in your life. By doing this, it will help you to obtain a Success Focused Mindset, which can help you to transform your life in a great way!
Start Today! Take Massive Action and Create the Life of your Dreams
You are the only one that can Do this for you!
