“Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope.” – Dale Carnegie
Have you felt that negativity is higher than ever? Do you feel it start to creep into your mindset? One day in April I was feeling all the feels — stressed, uncertain, challenged. My mentor and boss called me, and I shared how I was feeling. He told me how we act and how we speak to our clients during this pandemic will have a dramatic effect on whether they do business with us when things return. I knew in that moment a change in mindset was needed.
So, how do you actually change your mindset to be more positive? Here are five habits that have shifted my outlook.
1. Flip to the positive. When someone makes a negative comment, flip what they said in your mind to focus on the positive. For example, when someone says, “I cannot believe we have to work all five days of the week,” I think what a blessing it is to have a job during this uncertain time. This can become your positive superpower!
2. Send an uplifting message to someone each day. When we give positive reinforcement, it pivots our mindset to focus on others and their strengths.
3. Fill up your cup first. Start each day with something that fills your energy, beyond coffee. For me, this is yoga and my daily devotional. It allows me to breathe and get in the right head space before the grind hits.
4. Take breaks to soak in your blessings. Our nanny sends us pictures of our son Graham throughout the day and those have become my daily recharge to remind me why I need to remain focused.
5. Surround yourself with people who encourage you. We all have people in our life that drain our positivity and we all have people who fill it back up. I have weekly phone dates with my best friend from college who seems to always recharge my energy. She makes a point to make me feel important and heard every time we visit.
We can all agree that there is plenty of content that is negative. When we shift our perspective to the positive, we’ll find there are many who are willing to listen.
Jessie Wilson is the vice president of client engagement and senior trainer for Dale Carnegie Training of the Mid-South. Her favorite part of her job is working with companies’ greatest assets, their people, and helping them recognize their untapped potential.
