7 Ways to Stay Positive in Tough Times
Posted by admin on 31 Jan 2008 at 12:30 pm | Tagged as: General, How to's
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Editor’s note: This article isn’t really about a Web Service or Tool, but deals with one of the more human aspects of trying to start your own online business.
These days, it is so easy to get down about your own personal situation. With so many of us out of work, or worried about losing our current jobs, on top of the day to day challenges we all face, it is easy to give into that nagging negativity signal in our heads.
We all know that simply repeating to ourselves the phrase “I’m going to be positive and have a good attitude” just doesn’t quite remove the negativity. Sometimes the motivational posters or that great quote posted up next to your computer may help, but they don’t keep you motivated. You have to work at staying positive and motivated every day. It’s not easy. You have to take deliberate action to have a positive attitude. You can’t just think about being positive, you have to act!
7 Methods to Keeping a Positive Attitude:
1. Misery Loves Company
As most of us have trouble keeping a positive attitude, one of the biggest mistakes we all make at times is sharing our troubles with others in a similar situation. Before long, the conversation turns in to story after story of negativity. If you find yourself involved in one of these “pity parties”, politely excuse yourself. These sessions are a waste of time and energy and are not at all productive. Avoid misery.
2. Poison People
Another type of person to be avoided is the person that tells you how all of your ideas are horse hockey. These people are usually negative most of the time and quick to complain about the slightest thing. You can not remove these people from your life, as much as you would like to, but they should be avoided or taken in small doses. Especially at times when your positive attitude meter is running low.
3. Spending Time with Friends, Family
When I am feeling a bit negative, the best medicine for me is to spend some time with my kids. You may not have children, so spending some time with a family member or a good friend, who is prone to being positive, is beneficial. If you are not near a family member or friend, go to the park or simply get out and go for a walk and watch other people. Getting your mind off of yourself and onto someone else is great for generating a more positive attitude. It doesn’t necessarily solve your immediate problems, but it puts you in a more positive state of mind for tackling your issues in a more productive manner.
4. Read something that Motivates you
There are plenty of motivational books out there these days. For some of us, we may just have a good story that motivates us in a similar way. Take a few minutes or an hour out to immerse yourself in a book that motivates you and puts you in a more positive state of mind.
5. Learn something new, Become an Expert
Find a topic that you have always been interested in and learn about it. Get onto Google, search for a few terms, go to those web pages, learn about it and become an expert on it. The effort will give you a great feeling of accomplishment, generating a more positive attitude and motivating you to continue towards your goals.
6. Exercise
Get out of the house (or office). Go for a walk. Go to the gym. Just get some exercise and sweat a little bit. Burn off the excess energy that is feeding your negative attitude. Personally, this has always helped me to become more positive.
7. Reward yourself
These days, getting praise for a job well done is almost non-existent. So go on, you did a great job. Go get something nice for yourself. Not food, a beer or a bottle of whiskey, but a tangible item that you can set on your desk or computer that reminds you that “you are doing a good job”.
Summary
I hope this information helps those that read it. We all go through periods of negativity that can really damage any progress we have made so far. Book mark this page and save it for later. If things really get tough, leave me a comment … always glad to help.
Personal note: My method for motivating myself was to write this blog post. Not only is this helping me to gain a more positive attitude, it is motivating me to do a few new things I have not yet thought of before.
Great thoughts there, especially about poison people and misery loves company. Really how can we grow spiritually when someone is always trying to put you down, or make you feel sad or bad about yourself or your busines success; even when you first start out and having a hard time trying to figure everything out. I get very frustrated when I know that I shouldn’t and I am trying to work on that. I think that it must have been fate that I even found this piece on my web. You really made my day. I am going to ignore the poison people in my life and stay positive about everything. I am very grateful to you for writing this, it has helped me immensely. I just had to put my Rotty to sleep yesrterday and was feeling really sad. She would always be here when I am on the computer Nudging me with her head for me to pet her. I actually felt yesterday when she took her last breath, I felt a warm and fuzzy feeling around my heart area, then I felt relieved and I just knew her spirit was with me… Peace & Blessed Be…