"Where you are headed is more important than how fast you are going. Rather than always focusing on what's urgent, learn to focus on what is really important." — Stephen Covey
Everything in life is in a constant state of transformation — with or without your permission, so learning to take advantage of those changes is a way of exercising your personal power of finding blessings and opportunities. In spite of wanting the approval of others, NEVER be afraid of being yourself even when you don't conform to what others are doing, thinking, or expecting.
"At this point we are afraid of being ourselves. We are afraid of being unique and different. We are afraid of being individually powerful, and even successful. For all of these things stand against the old ways that told us that conformity was right and individualism was wrong." — Andrew Schneider
Since we all tend to look for, focus on, and remember negative thoughts, practice being GLAD! Initially, this cautiousness and watchfullness for threats was necessary to stay alive and is still required now to protect you and others from harm. Unfortunately, this inherited capability also causes you to concentrate on your own feelings of shame, inadequacies, mistakes, failures, and even self-contempt, often to the extreme! Even when you may feel overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, pessimism, low self-esteem, and self-doubt, you can train your mind to focus more on good news rather than to worry about bad news.
"Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.'" — Lao-Tzu
Stop wasting your time and energy on negative thoughts. Start finding little things about which to be happy, glad, or pleased. Each positive, thought you have makes it easier later for you to return to that same feel good state of mind whenever you want. After all, you only exist in your own consciousness, so you can always choose to be happy regardless of external factors.
- Remember at least three good things DAILY in your life [good health, relationships, children, pets, picnics, accomplishments, sunsets, food, etc] that your have experienced.
- Learn to return to and hang onto feelings of gladness by resisting the tendency to focus on negative thoughts.
- Tell others what you're happy about, or what you like about them.
- Smile even when you have nagging worries.
- Be thankful for all those bad things which never happened, or at least weren't as bad as you feared.
- Be happy that certain hard or stressful situations that have ended.
- Stop the habit of letting yourself slip into feelings of resentments, irritations, or worries by giving a name to your thoughts, like grumbling or brooding. Consciously shift your mind to those feel good thoughts instead.
Enjoy life now — it has an expiration date!
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