Is It Possible To Be Positive Today?

No matter what kind of day you are having, is it possible to be positive? 

 What I do know is that whatever is transpiring on this day, whether you view it as great, good, bad, or indifferent, in my experience thinking positively can help make the day a better one.

 Being optimistic doesn't take away what is occurring, but it does help make what you are going through easier to endure and, if you are having an awesome day, it only adds to that which is positive already. It's a win, win situation.

 You see, what's taking place today is taking place. Being positive can generally turn around your mood, and even your day as well. If nothing else, being encouraging beats being discouraging, doesn't it?

 There are days when your feet haven't even hit the floor to begin your day and you are in a not-so-good space, and it is far from being positive. Have you ever had one of these days?

 Then there are ones where nothing seems to go your way. It's like you are walking around with your shoe laces untied and tripping up constantly. Have you experienced a day like this?

 Sometimes you know you are in for some trying days, emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually, and you aren't looking forward to them by any means. Do you know these types of days?

 How about when things occur unexpectedly and turn your world upside down in a moment's flash. Do you know this one?

 Ah! then there are the days that just couldn't be any better. Do you know these days? Well, everyday may not always measure up to being the best day ever because things happen, but you can still remain positive either way.

 Throughout my 48 years, I have, and continue to have my share of scary, trying, unsettling, anxious, stressful, sad, heated, and best days ever.

 What I have come to realize is, no matter what, today is the day to be positive.

 However I'm feeling, I can choose how I continue to experience the rest of my day.

 In spite of everything, I can think positively and see the gifts and blessings surrounding me, or not. It is my choice, and it's yours as well.

 You might have some days where you aren't interested in feeling optimistic, nor do you care, but know that is your choice also.

 Maybe your emotions are too high, raw, or scattered at the moment, that's okay. Take care of you. Be aware of your moods and be gentle with yourself, and when you are ready, and you will be, you can choose to be encouraging again.

 When you are having the best day ever, don't take it for granted. Enjoy it. Appreciate your positivity and all this glorious day is offering you.

 If you are stuck in a rut of day, how can you be more positive? Choose to be.

 As you move through your day, stop for a moment once in awhile. Check in with yourself. How are you doing? No, really, how are you doing?

 Sometimes we don't even realize that we are being grumpy, edgy, short, or blaming and complaining, or feeling down, until we stop what we are doing for a minute.

 When you do pause, notice if you have been being positive or negative.

 If you realize you are being unhelpful, how can you be helpful again to yourself, the situation, or another?

 How can you make your day lighter and brighter?

 If your friend was having a hard time, what would you say or do to help them? Can you do this for yourself?

 Remember, we are creatures of habit, so make it a habit to be positive.

 Use these techniques to assist you in seeing where you can be more positive in your life and the benefits to you and your life by being so.

Do Affirmations Work?

Before asking 'do affirmations work?' we need to be clear what we mean by an affirmation


The definition of an affirmation is the 'declaration that something is true'. Many people use the declarations to improve and progress their lives.


But when  it comes to improving and progressing your life do affirmations work? The answer is - yes they can have a big impact and yes they can be great as a tool to help you on your journey to improvement in many areas. However, you need to know how to use them to create this impact as they can also be virtually useless if used incorrectly


Do Affirmations Work? Not like this! Do you ever remember doing lines at school?

I will not run in the corridor;I must not throw chewing gum at the teacher when his back is turned;I must not use chalk to write 'kick me' on peoples backs.Did they ever stop you from doing these things? I doubt it, and if they did it was likely to be down to the telling off you received or the fact that you were writing them whilst all of the other kids were out in the sunshine playing, rather than the lines themselves.


However, lines are affirmations and if we were to conclude here and ask 'do affirmations work?' the answer would be no. For the purpose of this article they are perfect for showing when affirmations do not work. They have the two critical elements that make them useless... in fact worse than useless as you will see.


The reason for affirmations is to influence your subconscious mind, which is responsible for your automatic behaviors and responses. For example, if I wanted more confidence I may repeat the affirmation 'I am highly confident in all situations'. When I continuously repeat this affirmation I am hoping that it seeps in to my subconscious and it starts to believe this.


The first issue about the above 'lines' affirmations are that they use the word 'not' and the subconscious finds it difficult to register the meaning of such negative words in a sentence. For example, what if I say to you 'do not think about pink elephants!' What is the first thing that comes in to your mind?


So your subconscious, if it is taking any notice (read the second issue) will actually be storing the lines as:

I will run in the corridor; I must throw chewing gum at the teacher when his back is turned;I must use chalk to write 'kick me' on peoples backs.Not the desired outcome!


So, do affirmations work? It doesn't seem like it so far!


The more feeling associated to an event the stronger the message that is passed from the conscious mind to the subconscious mind. For example, if you are watching a sporting performance you may watch your team make 100's of  passes throughout the game. It's unlikely that your subconscious mind will be able to recall many of these a year or week or even a day later. But what if with the last play of the game your team snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. Not only will you remember this the next day but you may even remember it for the rest of your entire life due to the emotional message that was passed from your conscious mind to your subconscious.


How much emotional message was passed with the 'lines' affirmations? Somewhere between zero and none I would suggest. So with these declarations, do affirmations work? No... but wait.


Do Affirmations Work? They most certainly do!  


Affirmations are fantastic at putting you in a resourceful state, to be at your best in a moments notice and to begin to change your natural behaviors for the better. However you have to remember the two key factors in making affirmations work.


Firstly, phrase them positively. After all your outcome should be one of positivity so even if you want to stop thinking a certain way, or stop acting in a certain way, or stop doing something you don't want to always do in a certain situation, phrase them positively! For example the three lines could have been;


I will walk with poise and confidence every time I am in the corridor;I will be on my best behavior at all times when I am in the classroom;I will treat all of my peers with the utmost respect and treat them how I would like to be treated.Now that is the fundamental. Do this and then ask the question 'Do affirmations work?


Almost!!

Now for the final factor. Try to remember 'the body leads and the mind follows'.


Before doing affirmations try and think of a time where you felt great. Feel how you felt and try to recreate the great feelings in your body. Now think of what you would like to improve and create the affirmation. Maybe you are going to a party and you are a little apprehensive. You could use the affirmation


'I am confident in all situations and I am excited about going to the party this evening'.


This is an okay affirmation. To make it a great one, you need to feel the affirmation in your body.


If it is possible, say the affirmation out loud.


Whilst you say the affirmation visualize yourself being perfectly confident at the party. Interacting, smiling and seeing others around you smiling also.


Make big bold gestures when saying the affirmations. Feel the meaning of the words you are saying. Feel the energy of the words pulsating through your body. Make the emotional connection for your subconscious. Embed the actual meaning of the words into your subconscious and make them a part of you.


Then when I ask you Do Affirmations Work? Your answer will be an unequivocal YES THEY DO!

Author: Mark D Bowden

A Bright Start

"We can get a right start only by accepting God as He is and learning to love Him for what He is. As we go on to know Him better we shall find it a source of unspeakable joy that God is just what He is."~A.W. Tozer

Look for the bright start of your life, seek God in everything you do, and let his brightness shine through you...

Know that he is behind you to catch you fall, beside you to help you when you stumble and in front of you to guide your path...


"The way of right living people glow with light, the longer they live, the brighter they shine" ~Proverbs 4:18

Keeping A Positive Outlook In Everyday Life

It is somehow natural for many people being negative when it comes to various aspects of their lives. This is because you have grown up in a world full of negative opinions. Whether you are at home, in class, or in the workplace, there is a tendency to hear a lot more depressing and pessimistic words than optimistic things. The news can also be filled with a lot of these downbeat matters. So, you really cannot be blamed for struggling and often losing in the battle of retaining a positive attitude. Consequently, you should learn how to keep a positive outlook in your life. You mustn't only understand, but you have to take it in, apply it, as well as live with it if you would like your entire life to turn around for the better.

Here are some tips on how to maintain a positive view in life. Start your day right. When you get up in the morning, you should smile and thank God for that beautiful day and for the blessings you will be obtaining all throughout the day. You need to decide to be blissful instead of being cranky and so attracting negative things to happen to you on that day. You may be surprised to find out that whenever you do this, all things seem to fall into place.

Do not sweat the tiny stuff. Yes, it could be difficult not to worry about being late for work or possessing failed to meet the deadline. It may be an excellent challenge not to feel guilty over a friend which did not say hello to you when you saw each other or over your mommy being disappointed at you. But, you have to train yourself to control your emotions and not let the tension get the best of you. You need to always try to consider the bright side or to look forward to the good things that are coming. It is only difficult at first, but when you usually do it, focusing on the good things will become easier. Try to get rid of your worrywart self!

Be a problem solver. Of course you will see a lot of trials in your life that you need to face. It is therefore important to know how to maintain a positive frame-of-mind in life, so you can get over the challenges much faster and. One way to accomplish this is to face problems head-on having a "strong will" although thinking up ways to take care of them or to work through them. Rather than sulking in a single corner or weeping your eyes out, it is advisable to come up with alternative options that are feasible for an individual. Yes, it may not be healthy to hold back the tears and hide the torment so you can let it all out. But manage how you feel and bounce back right away. Give yourself a few minutes, 1 whole day, or a few days depending on the gravity of the problem. Go at once to remedies. Surely, there will be other people around you to offer help and support so no need to carry the all burdens on your shoulders.

Fill and surround yourself with positivity. If you have heard of the Law of Attraction, you then should definitely apply it. It is a vital part of learning how to maintain a positive outlook in life. The Law of Attraction simply states you have to dwell only on the positive. You have to substitute your negative thoughts, words, and actions with positive ones so that you can draw closer better things. For example, you should never say out loud negative stuff yet to rephrase them with something positive. Also, try to mingle more along with positive people than those who spend a lot of time pitying by themselves and swimming within their misery.

These are four important ways you should think about if you want to know how to conserve a positive outlook in your life. Apply them now and see how your life does a turnabout. 

Believe in Yourself

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." -Willie Nelson

I am often asked why people stay in situations that make them unhappy, whether it's a job, relationship, financial situation or a health issue, weight etc. They say, "What is wrong with me?" Of course, most of the time these people have what they consider very legitimate excuses as to why they don't change things.

Even though they're miserable they seem to find a way to justify their misery; which brings us to the real issue, toxic thinking. What is it that you think about your situation, the one you wish was different, but isn't?

It's this basic core belief that you have chosen to hold onto that is exactly what keeps you stuck when you want to move forward. You have convinced yourself that there is no way out, that it's simply the hand you've been dealt in life and you're stuck with it.

In reality, you couldn't be further from the truth. This personal brain-washing has you captive in your own little cult. You begin to believe what you keep telling yourself, (What a concept!) as if it's the only way and there is no other. You are truly a prisoner of your own belief system.

What if you played devil's advocate with yourself? What if, just this once, you changed your mind, you decided to see things from a different view? What if you pretended to believe that things could be different and began to envision them being different?

This kind of "flipping the script" is the basis of the Law of Attraction. It's the cornerstone of creating the life you want. It can literally change your world.

When you allow limited, confined thinking to be your core belief system, your life will duly reflect it. Being rigid about what you believe gives you no chance of experiencing what you truly want. You simply resign yourself to, this-is-the-way-it's-going-to-be-and-nothings-going-to-change-it.

On the other hand, having some "thinking" flexibility will begin to free you to see that there just might be another way. It will open your mind to new possibilities instead of the self-imprisoned mind set you've chosen to hold onto for dear life.

If you find yourself in a situation and you believe there is no way out, ask yourself, what do you believe about this and why do you believe it? Our beliefs govern what we do, say and think, so make sure what you choose to believe will serve you well instead of hold you back.

Some beliefs aren't even true. We just tell ourselves they are and whatever you believe, you're right!