Hearing ‘think positive thoughts’ and other similar phrases may lead you to believe that having a positive mindset is always being happy or cheerful, but that is not the case. Keeping a positive mindset is more about being in control of your thoughts and choosing what you think than it is always thinking happy thoughts. It is beneficial to you, especially with the current world circumstances, to think about how you think. If you work on the way you think and try to better understand the way you feel and the way your mind works then you can be better prepared to deal with whatever the world throws at you.
There is no perfect way to think; everyone’s minds work differently, but there are some basic ideas to think about when you are trying to create a positive mindset. Firstly, think about control, there are things that you can and things that you can’t control. Some circumstances are out of your hands, make peace with those things so that you can put your focus onto what you can control. It is okay to be upset if a plan gets ruined by something that you could not prevent, but it is not in your best interest to dwell on it. Check your thoughts and think about what you can do to remedy the situation, focus on what you can control to begin producing a positive mindset.
In what you can control, remember you can take things one step at a time. It is easy to become overwhelmed if you have many things to do, but remember that you can take your time. With a positive mindset, you control your thoughts and you tell yourself that everything that needs to get done will get done. You’re allowed to take breaks, you do not need to stress or work yourself up, because you usually have more time than you think. With that, remember that you did the best you could given the circumstances you were in, if something doesn’t work out there’s always more time and other opportunities. Even if your new opportunity is a little different from the original plan, you learned from what did and you can use your learned skills and your positive mindset to do better with the new chance that you get.
It is also good to give yourself goals, especially when you are working in a time constraint, or you are given a new opportunity. Goals are essential in successfully completing everything you need to do, and when they are accomplished you will feel so good about yourself. Set your goals and always try to meet or exceed them, but if you don’t finish a goal to be gentle with yourself, always remember you did the best you could at the time. With a positive mindset you shouldn’t doubt yourself, remember to have confidence in yourself, don’t tell yourself that you can’t do something, tell yourself that you are going to try your hardest, and see how it goes. Reward yourself for hitting your goals, or even trying your best, your work and the effort you put in deserves to be recognized.
Maybe you didn’t meet a goal and therefore lost an opportunity, even with a positive mindset you should feel sad, angry, disappointed, or whatever other emotion you need to. After you experience your emotions let them go, you cannot change the past, feel upset, do not bury your emotions, but also do not dwell on them. It is okay to mess up and it is okay to not be okay, but use your positive mindset to work through it and come out stronger. Forgive yourself for the slip and know that you will try to be better and that next time you will see your effort pay off.
Lastly, though most of having a positive mindset are about working through your thoughts, some of it is just having good thoughts. Wish good for yourself and for others, avoid jealousy and resentment and genuinely wish the best for everyone, remember you get what you give. Be positive with yourself too, self love and manifestation are powerful. You can find something good in almost every situation, remember it may not be ideal, but see if there is a silver lining. You have the power to work through and with your thoughts, so use that power and help yourself be the best you. Good luck!