Positivity...Let me count the ways

In a previous post “Always On My Mind” I mentioned to job seekers to “stay hopeful and positive.”

I would like to expand on how exactly job seekers (or anyone else for that matter) can “stay positive.”

First I’m reminded of a FISH! Philosophy tenet of “Choose Your Attitude.”

We can choose to have a positive attitude in a number of ways.

Be nice to yourself  

We can’t always feel positive (or up or cheery) all of the time. Sometimes we feel down.  I suggest that we accept that we feel down at this moment and that this feeling won’t last forever. We can think to ourselves that things will feel brighter tomorrow. Give yourself permission to feel down at this moment and take comfort that tomorrow is another day. 

We can do some basic things to take care of ourselves: get enough rest, drink lots of water, eat healthy, get some exercise, etc. Other than these things, we can participate in activities that make us happy. For me, it’s spending time with family and friends.

It may be helpful to keep a gratitude journal. For me, it’s reflecting what I find to be a positive experience every day. We are prone to always seeing the negative, but if we train ourselves to see the positives, we become open to seeing and embracing new possibilities. 

Be nice to others

Words matter and what we say to people. We can “Make Someone’s Day” (another FISH! Philosophy tenet) just in the way we interact with them.   We all know that if we treat someone badly, that can have a negative viral effect. Similarly, if we are nice to people, that too has a viral effect, but this time it’s a positive viral effect! As one of my friends says, it always pays to pay it forward!   

We can perceive situations differently  

We can adapt our thinking to think in a more positive light. For example, it’s a grey day. We can think it’s not the most nicest of days; however, if you are a walker like I am, you can also think to yourself that you can step out of the house without having to spend time putting on sunscreen and a hat!  There is more than one way to look at a situation.

Our negative self-talk can limit us; however, we can push beyond our fear and go beyond our comfort zone and take comfort in having conquered a fear.  I think about a quote that is currently on a friend’s LinkedIn profile: “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”

We can alter our perception on how we think people are treating us

You say “hello” to a colleague in the hallway and they don’t say “hello” back. We may think that our colleague is ignoring us or that they’re being “stuck-up.” But if we gave this person the benefit of the doubt, we could also think that that person is distracted and thinking about something else, or maybe that person didn’t hear us. It’s not always all about us.

Let me end by sharing a song by Sara Bareilles called “Brave.”

It’s an upbeat song with a positive message!

Originally Published on LinkedIn:  November 19, 2016

Image Credit:  Pixabay