Negative things will always happen. We cannot change that, but we CAN change our reactions to these occurrences.
The big problem lies not in what happens to us, but what we allow to happen to our minds as a result.
“Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power” Shirley McClaine
If we continue to allow the thoughts and impressions that come as a result of negative happenings in life to dwell in our minds, then we will develop a very pessimistic attitude.
Our thoughts affect our emotions. In fact our thoughts are the “gatekeeper” of our emotions. They tell our emotions what to do.
If we are constantly dwelling on negative things, then we will soon find the following things happening to us:
We Speak Words We Regret Later:
Once a negative comment is directed at us or even insinuated out comes a flow of words that later we wished we had never spoken.
We Make Rash Decisions:
Oh well, if that’s the way you think, I may as well …. (You can fill in the blanks).
Or it may be:
Oh well, if that’s going to happen I may as well ….. (Again, you can fill in the blanks).
We Lose Focus:
It is impossible to focus on the negative and the positive at the same time. So, it is natural that once yielding to a negative influence our positive focus will be interrupted.
Our visions and goals will become blurred and if we allow this process to continue, we will be in danger of facing the strong temptation to give up.
We certainly don’t want that. Our visions and goals are very important to our life and business and need to be protected. So let’s not fall into the negative spiral trap!
Solution:
The best solution is form a habit of being alert to your own words and recognizing what is motivating them.
Here are some tips to help you catch yourself following any wrong path:
Stop and reflect for a moment and ask yourself.
Why did I say that? Is that what I really meant? (If it is, then the problem is deeper and perhaps something we will discussion further in future articles).
If I did not mean that, then why did I say it? What influenced me to say that? If you can answer the last question, you have found the culprit. Now deal with it.
Once you discover the “why” (the culprit which influenced your emotional outburst), now it is possible to change your reactions.
The Key Is To Use the Power of the Will..
We need act against these negative situations using the power of decision (which is the will). We are all born with this power. We decide to override our emotions and think and speak words that will bring a positive influence into the situation.
This power of the will is first applied to the thought patterns. The decision to change the thought patterns must be made BEFORE any high pressure incident occurs. This will ensure we don’t fall into the trap of speaking or acting before we think.
A Tip To Help You Strengthen Your Willpower.
One of the very best ways to achieve this change of mindset is to form a habit of taking time every day to meditate on something positive. Read a chapter of the Bible, a devotional book or a motivational book.
Think about what you have read.
Ask yourself: “How can I apply what I have read to my day”. Make some deliberate decisions.
You will find your day goes a lot better after spending some quiet time at the beginning, with some positive reflection and even some planning for the day.
Checklist:
Do I find myself reacting to things in life with emotional outbursts?
Do I find myself saying things I don’t mean?
Am I as positive in every area of my life, as I think I am?
Am I willing to make some changes?
What I am doing to make these changes?
58 successful entrepreneurs were given 30 days to start again from scratch and recover their wealth, Could they do it? They had already reached success once.
Now with everything taken away from them could they recover in just 30 days? Were they really able to overcome the negative things that happened to them? Read their stories here.
Follow their examples and conquer all the negative things that may happen to you and go out and SUCCEED
You Too Can Be A Champion!
