Posted By crystal dwyer on August 3, 2009

I often get asked the question “How do I stay postitive when it seems like, every day, there is so much bad news out there?” These are the sort of times that test our character, resolve, and resilience the most. It’s easy to feel that life is out of our control…that we might be tempted to give up. Much of what we’re experiencing is our innate mental/emotional process that can be a detriment to our thriving through difficult times, until we learn to master that process.

To survive and to thrive it is essential to have specific things that we can practice that allow us to feel the greatest measure of control, safety, and security possible during trying times.

Here is a list of three simple things to focus on each day which will help shift your thinking and perspective:

First- The Purpose of Life
No one ever said that life was meant to be a cake-walk. Our journey here requires that we learn, grow, and evolve. A quick acknowlegment a time or two each day saying ” I understand life’s journey has ups and downs and all of these experiences can help me grow in some way”. Repeating just this statement will remind you that life isn’t about perfection. When you embrace the good and the bad to see what you can get from both, it relieves a lot of the pressure that gets created from the flawed belief that everything is supposed to be smooth 100% of the time.

Second-Dont Get Stuck in Old Solutions
So many of us have been living our lives a certain way for so long, that the ways we deal with challenges have become predictable and automated. Many of us are so used to looking at a problem one way, we fail to see any solutions. Now is the time to think out of the box. In many cases, the old job, the old company, the old way of doing business is just not going to work anymore. Times have changed and never has the call for fresh, creative thinking been louder. If you’ve given up because you’ve gone ’round and ’round seeing the same old limited scenario to solve your problem, I’m asking you to stop. Sit down with your problem, write it out, and then write down 10 new ways to deal with it that you have never, ever thought of before. No matter how crazy or outrageous they seem, write them down. If you were a highly paid exec. and just lost your job, write down something as seemingly outrageous as baking muffins and delivering them to all of the officebuildings in your city. This kind of brainstorming will get your creative juices pumping, whether you become a muffin-baker or not. 10 solutions…try it now.

Third - Sing, Laugh, Tell More Jokes
People are walking around feeling very serious at the moment. We’re looking down more, smiling less, and not feeling very jovial. Feeling it or not, I’m asking you to deliberately smile at every single person you meet, and ask them how their day is going. I’m asking you to look for things to laugh about even if they don’t seem terribly funny, and I’m asking you to tell at least two jokes a day. When our brain is steeped in fear and concern our creativity is shut down as well. Not only will smiling and laughing stimulate your creative mind, it will just flat-out make you feel better. It might seem a little forced at first, but stick with it enough and pretty soon you won’t want to stop.

Remember… your life is only experienced through you. You are the one who gets to manage what goes in and out which helps create this thing known as your life. Keep your head up and keep smiling…no matter what!

Love and Blessings,

Crystal

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.
- Dale Carnegie

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: challenges, create your life, jokes, Positive thinking, purpose of life, smiling, solutions, stuck