It stands to reason that if you want to enjoy a powerful and positive day, you need to make a powerful and positive start to the day. Each day tends to continue as it starts i.e. if you get off on the wrong foot, you are likely going to experience more negative stuff throughout the day. When you wake up, it is a big transition for your mind. You have spent hours in a sleeping, dreaming and abstract state. All of a sudden, you are expected to be ready for the realities of life and the challenges that they present. How you think and feel and, what you do during this period will play a significant role in determining how your day will turn out. So, why not make an effort to start the day with positivity and ensure you get started on the right foot.
Negative to Positive
You can identify some key changes to allow you start living a more positive life with my FREE eBook - From Negative to Positive.
Why start the day with positivity?
Starting the day with a positivity routine is one of the absolute best things you can do for yourself! As you awake, move through your morning routine and slowly come to terms with the real world; your mind is open to new messages; positive or negative. So, why not take the opportunity to feed your mind with an abundance of positivity.
There is an endless list of benefits to be derived from positive thinking, including:
Your ability to think positively and maintain a positive outlook on life will have a powerful impact on your emotional health too.
How to start the day with positivity
What are the ingredients of true positive thinking? What can you do to ensure that you start the day with positivity? Here are 3 simple but powerful strategies to get you started.
1. Gratitude
If you did me a favour and, I didn’t even have the courtesy to express my gratitude; would you be inclined to help me again? You may let it slide the first time but you are unlikely to ignore my bad behaviour repeatedly.
Life is no different. Developing an attitude of heartfelt and sincere gratitude for all your current blessings unleashes the ultimate power for obtaining many more. When you give thanks for all of the good stuff in your life, other people and life itself, are more likely to reward you with more positive rewards.
“Thank you” – these two simple words can change one’s life. Unfortunately, they are also two of the most neglected words in modern life. No matter what you want to achieve in your life, you will need the help of others. It is important to say ‘Thank You’ but don’t just say it. Take the time to really appreciate how you have benefitted from the help/gift you received and this will help you to express your gratitude more sincerely.
Even more important than all of this, if you make expressing your gratitude a consistent part of your life; it forces you to acknowledge all of the great things which happen in your life. We are all masters of negativity but you can really change your life by changing to a positive outlook. And, the quickest way to do this is to practice gratitude.
You don’t even have to wait for something positive to happen to practice gratitude. Find something to be grateful for and focus on it. You have so much good in your life that you should never be stuck for something positive to focus your gratitude on. You can even begin each day by expressing your gratitude, in writing or verbally, for all of the great things you have in your life.
Key Point
Gratitude opens your eyes to all the wonderful aspects of your life which are far too easy to ignore on a daily basis. You feel better about you and your life. It also encourages others to keep on helping you in any way they can as, they know you appreciate their efforts.
Related
For more on the importance of gratitude, read Top 11 ways gratitude enhances your life.
2. Positive Affirmations
When I first encountered affirmations, I thought they were a cheap and meaningless exercise. This may be because some personal development gurus have tried to sell affirmations as the solution to everything; which of course, they are not.
Over time I came to realise that affirmations are a wonderful exercise to practice. They can, if used right, help to build a person up. As part of a positivity routine, they really can be wonderful.
You may not realise it but you are always affirming. Whether you are agreeing with the messages delivered by advertisers, you are repeating negative thoughts in your mind or, you are agreeing with a point made by a friend; you are practicing affirmations. In fact, any negative belief which you hold, has taken hold in your mind because you constantly reaffirmed it. Therefore, doesn’t it make sense to take greater control of the things you affirm by developing your own affirmations.
No matter what aspect of life you're trying to change or improve, affirmations can play a part in helping you to develop the confidence, belief and mindset needed to achieve it. They won’t do the whole job on their own but they should be part of your overall strategy.
If you want to change your thinking, your beliefs or reprogram your mind, affirmations are a part of the solution.
So start your practice of positive affirmations today and practice your affirmations each and every morning. Over time, you will see the beneficial changes in your mindset.
Key Point
A lot of people wait until they are feeling bad to practice affirmations. The problem with this is that when you are feeling bad, you are less likely to believe anything positive you say about yourself. I find it more effective to practice affirmations while in a positive or neutral mood. This allows me to either extend my positive times or take charge of neutral moments and turn them into positive moments. This increases positivity and reduces the time given over to negative experiences.
Related
Whether intended or not, you are constantly affirming. Taking charge of your affirmations is a great way to build your self-esteem. Unlock Your Self-Esteem will give you more great strategies.
Negative to Positive
You can identify some key changes to allow you start living a more positive life with my FREE eBook - From Negative to Positive.
3. Acknowledge your brilliance
That may sound a little cocky and arrogant but developing a successful mindset requires that you realise just how great you really are. You do amazing things, each and every day, so don’t be afraid to acknowledge it.
As always, we tend to focus on acknowledging all the stuff we got wrong and all of the stuff that we failed to get done but that is being really unfair. Imagine how much more powerful and confident you would be if you took the time to acknowledge all of the great contributions you make.
It's crucial to remember the great things about you and all you accomplish. The very act of doing so will help you to make a massive mindset transformation; from a meek individual hoping for the praise of others to a powerful and strong person who knows their own greatness.
When we get something wrong, we tend to dwell on it for an eternity but when we achieve a great success, we tend to rush into the next task without giving our achievements the credit and acknowledgement that they deserve.
Observe your gifts, your strengths and achievements. You don’t have to be overly proud and you don’t have to belittle or even compete with others. You just need to be honest with yourself i.e. when you have done a great job, acknowledge it and celebrate.
Key Point
Self-acknowledgement is a powerful tool to add to either your morning or evening routine. You can look back upon the day or, the previous day, and acknowledge all of the great things that you accomplished.
Related
For more great strategies to develop a powerful and positive mindset, check out Mindset Transformation.
Conclusion
You really want to start the day as you mean to go on. To do this, you need to start the day with positivity. In this hectic world, you are going to be constantly subjected to messages from advertisers, managers, colleagues, family etc. You may also experience some negative thinking. All of these messages and thoughts help to determine your mindset and your outlook on life; which in turn determine the level of success that you achieve. Be proactive and choose the thoughts and messages you want to embed in your mind. Above, I have provided you with 3 strategies for increasing the amount of positivity you experience in your life. Make them a part of your daily routine and ensure that you start the day with positivity.