The advocacy, which is the title of this read, is Roy T. Bennett’s in The Light in the Heart, and he completed his thought thus: “Be led by the dreams in your heart.” Bennett’s words could be the tonic that gingers you up; that is, if you believed that dreams are not meaningless. Your dreams only become meaningful when your desire gives impetus to them. For this to happen, it is important to motivate your thoughts with positive energy and a positive mindset.
Positive mindset is fuel for inspiration, motivation, and hope – hope for a better tomorrow notwithstanding what you are faced with today.
However, how plausible is it to have a positive attitude when neck deep in a negative situation, especially when the walls are closing in on you on many fronts? Some will say that your approach would be determined by whether you are a glass half full or half empty kind of person. In essence, are you an optimist or a pessimist?
David Hecht in “The Neural Basis of Optimism and Pessimism” says an “optimistic person sees good things everywhere, is generally confident and hopeful of what the future holds. From the optimist’s point-of-view the world is full of potential opportunities. The pessimist, on the other hand, observes mainly the negative aspects of everything around. Thinking of all the potential dangers and pitfalls on the way, the pessimist is likely to have little hope for the future.”
A positive mindset does not mean living in denial. It is not the sole privilege of optimists either. It is attainable by anyone who desires it. Positive mindset is fuel for inspiration, motivation, and hope – hope for a better tomorrow notwithstanding what you are faced with today. As a result, “this too shall pass” is not just cliché; it is a fact of life. It is therefore important to recognize that every bad situation or dark chapter of your life will eventually come to an end. Should you consider such bad situations a potential launching pad, then you are on your way to embracing a positive mindset.
You can develop and maintain a positive mindset even if you consider yourself a pessimist. For instance, starting your day with positive affirmations could become a part of your morning routine. By speaking positively concerning yourself and your situations, you will invariably begin to visualize and approach things, throughout the day, with a positive attitude. Your body responds to the positive thoughts you feed it with. Visualizing yourself successfully completing a task you had set out to accomplish generates the appetite with which to engage in the task until it is complete.
Feeding your mind with positive substance – written, oral or visual – makes your mind a fertile ground for positive thoughts. Read an inspirational book or article from time to time. Listen to inspirational and motivational speakers and watch videos designed to inspire hope and positive thoughts and, soon enough, you will begin to exude positivity in all facets of your life.
Other ways by which you can attain perpetual positive mindset include surrounding yourself with positive-minded people. This act is infectious. You will be able to feed off the group’s energy if everybody around you recognizes and acknowledges a setback but chooses to continue to push forward towards success rather than wallow in self-pity and acceptance of defeat.
A positive mindset is essential for sound mental health, which is the basis for resilience. Resiliency is an attribute you should strive for. The ability to bounce back from setbacks and push towards new accomplishments is priceless. Life is full of ups and downs. Therefore, knowing that up is the only direction for you to go, when you are down, sets the stage for you to take that step towards bouncing back from whatever lows you may be experiencing in life.
So, start your day with a positive mindset. Create the environment in which you are successful in all your pursuits. Do not let minor setbacks keep you from going after that which you truly yearn for. Be that athlete who fell in the middle of a race, got up and drew inspiration from the incident thus outrunning everybody else and winning the race.
There are better days ahead. Believe and keep pushing towards your goals.