How to Have a Positive New Year
At the beginning of the year it's easy to have a positive attitude about all the blessings that are in store for you, all the things you plan to accomplish and so on. But as the days pass by and as obstacles arise, it's a little more difficult to keep your eyes focused on the positive.
Something that I think scares people is that our success isn't determined by our neighbors, co-workers or friends and what they're doing, but rather it's about your individual performance each day. That's not to say that the people around us don't impact our success or attitude, but ultimately it comes down to you and the choice you make daily to be on the path to success.
Positivity is a mindset, and a choice you have to make. You either see the glass half empty or half full. You can view obstacles as learning opportunities or you can look at them as the barriers that prevent you from achieving your goals.
Here are a few ways to implement positivity into your own life!
Speak positively to yourself: what you speak to yourself matters. If you continually point out the weaknesses and faults, you will continue to only see those things. If you struggle with this - write on sticky notes I AM... and write what you want to believe about yourself. Place it somewhere you will see it daily and remind yourself of it - you will eventually believe it and become it!
Exercise : Working out is proven to improve your mood by releasing endorphins and other hormones that impact our attitudes. Get moving during the week. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, take a walk before or after dinner around the neighborhood, join a gym. Whatever you need to do to get your body moving!
Don't waste energy on gossip or worrying what others think of you : If people are talking negatively about you, it's most likely because they are jealous about something you have that they don't. It could be a character quality, success you've achieved, or whatever - but only those who are insecure talk poorly about others. Anytime someone feels inferior to your or you begin to make progress, they will want to bring you down. Take it as a compliment! You're on the right path when you face worldly opposition.
Look for opportunities to serve : Jesus came not to be served but to serve. We should do the same! Great leaders are good servants, find ways to incorporate service into your daily life! And don't just serve those that you like, the times it's most impactful is when you serve those who don't deserve it.
Get to vs. Have to: change your mindset! Instead of you "have to" wake up early for work, you get to wake up early for work! Instead of I "have to" do the dishes and laundry, you "get to" do the dishes and laundry! What a privilege it is to wake up another day and have tasks that God has given us. Let's start looking at them that way!
Know your why: When you have a purpose or a goal you're working towards, you have to have a reason behind it. You want to lose weight - okay, why? Is it to feel better in your clothes? Gain confidence? Take better care of the body you were given? Whatever it is, knowing your why and purpose behind what you do will push you through the tough seasons. This avoids burnout and will refocus you when things get hard.
Don't pursue happiness: Happiness is fleeting! The world will tell you to do what makes you happy, and it will lead you down a path of disappointment. Happiness is a feeling. It will come and go as obstacles arise and circumstances change, but something that lasts forever is the JOY of the Lord. Strive to be joyful in all circumstances!
Laugh more: Don't take life so seriously! Whenever something negative happens or things don't go as planned, I usually laugh about it because it's so typical that something would happen to me haha. Expect that things aren't gonna go your way and think about the comical parts! It's inevitable that life is hard, but what fun is it to constantly dwell on how sad and depressing the world and life is? This is another one of those things where you have to shift your mindset.
Failure doesn't define you: So many of us, including myself, fear failure for a variety of reasons. It could be pride, wanting to achieve something so badly, not be embarrassed, etc. but once we shift our mindset from fear of failure to jumping all in and learning from our mistakes - it's game over! Failing doesn't mean you are a failure, it gets you one step closer to where you want to be and equips you for the bumps you will face down the road. Once you realize this, you will enjoy the obstacles that life brings because you know you will come out stronger.
Live life to the fullest: This can be a pretty broad statement, but what I mean by this is that after each day - be proud of the work you did! Whether you are a stay at home mom and did laundry and dishes all day, or are working full time and only got a couple things off your list, etc. Be proud of what you accomplished and learned from that day and take another leap the following day.
Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020!
