Of late, the phrases “Be positive”, “Life is awesome!”, “I am really excited!” and so on have become quite common. Sometimes, it may seem like how can anyone be so positive all the time?
Are people merely putting on an “always-be-positive” mask? I would say that it’s more about an attitude and not a mask.
Infact, being positive is a genuine need when it does come to facing the roller-coaster ride of life. Developing positive emotions help us face tough times, balance various emotional upheavals and help us look at life as an exciting journey rather than a series of struggles.
Now, let’s focus on why we need to develop positive emotions on a daily basis. Below are some of the probable reasons which many of you could possibly relate to.
A Small Positive Self-Talk Sets Right The Mood For The Day
When there is a mountain of work right in front of you and very less time to complete it, it’s quite natural to get disheartened. At such times, a small positive self-talk can go a long way in motivating you to do your best.
One of my clients did exactly that. Recently, she had to face some emergency in the home-front and could not focus much on her work. This ended in work accumulating by the day and there it was – “Everything needs to be completed today” situation. She did wake up that day with very low morale but a piece of positive self-talk did the trick. She was on the path to completion. This is what she said
“Satish! I woke up with a very bad mood thinking of the day ahead of me. Then, I told myself that it’s alright and I am only feeling down as I am thinking of all the tasks at once. I wrote down the tasks on a sheet of paper, started completing them one by one. Each tick mark in the list gave me a sense of satisfaction and also motivated me to do better.”
So, the next time you are feeling down or out to do something important, encourage yourself with positive self-talk. Even better, write it down on a post-it note. You will certainly see a marked difference in your attitude and approach towards that task and also get to see favourable results.
Haven’t you heard frequently that if you can change your mind, you can change your life?
This interview with Neuroscientist Dr. Carolina Leaf does throw more light on this aspect.
Positive Emotions Are Known To Improve Health
People who keep telling themselves that they are healthy more or less remain so. Even when some of them do suffer from an ailment, having a positive attitude does help them fight the odds better.
You can call it will-power, positive self-talk, listening to positive words from others and so on. The end-result is definitely better health.
One of my clients did share this incident with me “Normally Satish … undergoing a heart surgery and that too with 80% blockage is very risky and the chances are more or less, negative as observed. The person undergoing the same and those close to him or her will naturally be too tensed. However, when I saw the way one of my uncles handled the situation, it did surprise me.
Even though everyone around him was highly tensed, he remained very calm. After the successful operation, when the doctor came on his rounds, my uncle himself greeted him with a smile – “Good Morning Doctor! How are you doing?”
So much positivity! I did ask him how come he was able to be so. He replied that he tuned his mind to be that way and that is the best way to overcome challenges.”
Laura Kubzansky associate professor of society, human development, and health at Harvard School of Public Health speaks about the impact of positive emotions on health.
Positivity Boosts Creativity
A positive mind is always more open to new ideas and flexible to try out new approaches. Creativity is not limited to the arts. It is infact required in every sphere of life and profession. It is more of an attitude – the willingness to think out of the box for better solutions to a problem in hand. You end up becoming a better decision-maker too.
This attitude helps to fine-tune your mind such that even in a very tricky situation, your thought process will be aligned to confidently think out of the box and find a solution.
This article from HBR speaks about the emotions that actually help us become more creative.
Being Positive Is Much More Than Just Being Happy
Being positive is not about being blindly more optimistic or pretending to be happy no matter what the situation is. It is more of an attitude which helps us face challenges in a more effective way.
When you choose this attitude over a negative one, you automatically push the negative emotions like fear, uncertainty, doubt and so on thereby making way for success no matter how tough the challenge is. This way, you become all the more successful.
This attitude does help in all spheres of life – be it personal, professional or social. Positivity attracts more positivity.
This article by Joe Wilner gives more insights on how positive emotions impact life success.
Having said all these, there is certainly great power in being positive. This attitude is what genuinely helps you when you are feeling down and upset, helps you overcome bigger challenges in life and helps you create a beautiful world for yourself.
Make “Be Positive” Your Way Of Life!
If you are someone who would want to make “being positive” a part of your personality, then you can schedule a No obligation call with me to discuss about your area of challenge.
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To your success always …
Best Regards,
Satish Rao
Co-Authored By Sushma Krishnan (Co-Founder, High Performance Alchemy)