Cultivate a Positive Mindset
In case you missed last week, we're going through the "Top 17 Strategies to Become the Best Version of Yourself." This week, we will examine how cultivating a positive mindset can help you achieve your goals. Before we get into any specifics, I first want to define what I mean by "positive mindset." A positive mindset is not wishful thinking but rather informed optimism. While you should avoid wishful thinking, you should aim to find the silver lining in every situation and view facts with appropriate optimism. But what are some of the ways you can cultivate a positive mindset? Well, let's find out!
Foster Gratitude
One of the best ways to cultivate a positive mindset is by fostering gratitude. While some people are naturally more grateful than others, gratitude is a practice you can make second nature. Learning to foster gratitude daily will help give you moments of reprieve in difficult times, so it's important to build your "gratitude muscle" before those difficult times become unbearable. One way I foster gratitude is by doing a "gratitude check-up." Doing this check-up while I get my oil changed works perfectly for me, but if you rarely get your oil changed or want to do this check-up more frequently, find another task or activity you engage in semi-regularly. During the check-up, I list the top eight things I'm grateful for. After I've done this, I erase the last thing I wrote down and spend a few moments imagining my life without it. I continue this exercise until everything on my list is gone. I don't know what will make you grateful if this doesn't! Gratefulness no doubt is often very difficult to express clearly and honestly to others, but this method can help you begin the process of learning to foster gratitude. Of course, purposefully verbalizing your gratitude for things and people throughout the day will also help you think more positively about your life.
Surround Yourself with Positive People
A second way to cultivate a positive mindset is to surround yourself with positive people. The people we surround ourselves with will, directly and indirectly, impact the level of success we achieve. If you plan on climbing a mountain to reach your success, surrounding yourself with positive people will make repetitive tasks enjoyable and difficult tasks endurable. Just think about it. How often do you pick up the mannerisms and sayings of the people around you? Unsurprisingly, our thinking often mirrors the thinking of the people around us as well. And that's why it's so important to surround yourself with people who think positively. Realistically, you can do many hard things on your own, but why make life harder than it has to be? You may not even realize the effect negative people have on your countenance, it may be easy to fall back on negative reactions and thinking. Find people that encourage you and help you frame situations positively. This will allow you to encourage them in turn in times of distress or confusion, no one is able to be positive in every situation, but there are ways to cultivate the mindset. Even if it doesn't seem like that big of a deal right now, you'll soon realize the importance of this practice.
Be True to Your Values
Another way to cultivate a positive mindset is to live according to your values. There's a term in psychology called "cognitive dissonance," which means that people naturally feel uncomfortable doing something that doesn't align with their true beliefs. It's difficult to be positive and feel good about what you're doing if it doesn't align with who you truly are–there's research to prove it! And not only will your mind and body start to take the toll of this dissonance, but you'll spend more energy adapting to your discomfort than on what you need to do to achieve your goals. While stepping out of your so-called comfort zone is essential for personal growth, there is an important distinction between this and doing something that is against your beliefs. Live according to your values. If you don't, you'll forget your purpose, lose sight of what matters, and get stuck in a cycle you don't care for. Cultivating a positive mindset has many aspects, and while it may seem unnecessary, it is essential if you want to live this way to the fullest.
Know Your Locus of Control
Finally, you need to know your locus of control. Your locus of control is another term in psychology that means something you're already familiar with. Essentially, people who believe that everything happens to them and believe they can't control anything (think: fate, predestination, etc.) have an external locus of control. But those who think they have control over what happens to them and their future have an internal locus of control. Personally, I think we need to have a double perspective. There are things outside our control; we don't always do something to deserve what happens to us. HOWEVER, certain things are absolutely under our control. I can control my reactions, where I put my money, and how I talk to people. Having things outside your control does not require you to feel useless and depressed. Knowing that things are within and outside your control will help you stay level-headed when difficult situations arise while also keeping you accountable to your goals. It doesn't have to be either/or; it can be both/and.
Having a positive mindset will make your life much more enjoyable and bring about happiness even during unhappy situations. Sure, acknowledging your sadness is important and good, but if you're living in your dismay, you'll find it nearly impossible to succeed. This will not come about on its own, you have to put in effort in order to reach this lifestyle and mindset. Foster gratitude, surround yourself with positive people, be true to your values, and know your locus of control, and you'll find the daily grind much more enjoyable and your goals soon within reach.
