The Gift of Life
It is said that we have at least 50,000 thoughts a day. Just stop to think about that; 50,000 or more opportunities to shape your life. Instead of letting those opportunities pass us by, we can take control of our life and steer ourselves in a new direction.
One way to do this is to learn to appreciate negative thoughts as a gift.
1. Thinking Creatively
Thinking creatively is one of the keys to success; taking negative thoughts and turning them around into something positive can propel us into the life of our dreams. Take for example a negative thought about another person; you don't like their anger or intensity.
Looking more closely at the situation we can often find that the other person is mirroring something inside ourselves that we do not like.
2. Have fun with Negative Thoughts
We can turn it around and say 'I don't like my anger' and see where that is true in our lives. This enables new thoughts to form which in turn can lead to new action. Also we can have fun with negative thoughts; for example, one such thought might be that you are afraid to try something new.
Another way of working with our own negative thinking is to use acceptance. This can be incredibly empowering, enabling us to take control of our lives and forge ahead with a plan. Rather than denying a difficult situation or trying to put a positive spin on it sometimes the best thing to do is to accept it.
3. Denial will do nothing to change the Actual Situation
In fact burying your head in the sand can make the situation worse. Sometimes the negativity in our lives doesn't come from within us. It comes from those around us. We have all had either a friend or relative who leaves us feeling emotionally drained.
Part of being a good friend is to be a shoulder to cry on, but when every time you see a certain person you feel like a spent battery it is time to reset your boundaries.
4. Take on Responsibility of Others
It is very easy to take on the responsibility for other people's problems, forgetting that they are indeed other people's problems and can therefore only be solved by other people. We can help, preferably if we have been asked, but we cannot take someone else's steps in life.
It can be the hardest thing to do but sometimes not extending a helping hand can be the kindest thing to do; particularly if you are in the situation where you have been taken for granted.
5. Taking Granted
All too often we take ourselves for granted. We often focus on the things we did wrong or haven't managed to achieve rather than our successes or steps towards success. Taking time out of our busy schedule to pamper ourselves is as important as thinking positively.
It doesn't have to be expensive; a walk by the beach, in a forest or elsewhere in nature can do as much to recharge us as a day at the spa.
It proves useful to run through the day’s activities, both good and bad at the end of the day. You can review, without judgement, all that occurred and you will realise how much you achieved.
It may be that you could have done things better but you can at least give yourself credit that you did something. This exercise has the added bonus of clearing the mental deck before bedtime, enabling you to have deeper dreams.
The keys to success in life are in your mind, body and soul and the greatest gift you can give the world is to use them
