Whenever you ask the question “Why?”, idle curiosity notwithstanding, you are most likely asking it out of exasperation or determination.
Exasperation is reactive and does no-one any good. But determination is proactive, and has tremendous potential to move everyone forward. So always be mindful of which one you’re choosing.
Generally speaking, people tend to label themselves (and others) as “positive” or “negative”. But this is not always as useful as you might think.
So instead, try asking yourself: “Do I tend to think constructively or destructively?” Doing this will move you forward!
Everyone has fears. The trouble is that many people are afraid of their fears; understandably so, as left unchecked they can be devastating.
The good news is that they can be of real positive value to you too – just never neglect them.
Never allow your fears to fester in a corner, gaining strength and increasing control over your imagination! Instead, call them out into the light every so often – make a habit of doing so – particularly when you are feeling overwhelmed by them.
Shake hands with them, give’em a quick rinse, remind them that while you must co-exist YOU are still the boss, and then let them drift on their way.
I guarantee that if you do this periodically your fears will behave themselves, and stay in their rightful place as challenges to be accepted and cautions to be heeded.
What does not kill you makes you stronger.
Confidence is the habit of being pleased with doing and recognizing your absolute best – and knowing why.
Ever feel like you’re stuck in a Catch-22? Can’t figure how to break out of it?
Challenge your premises and identify which one of them is flawed; you’ll find at least one that definitely is. Then just figure out why it was incorrect in the first place, and replace it with one that isn’t!
Emotional Pollution requires a host environment – it cannot exist outside of you. So if you are feeling lousy, check to see that you’re not keeping any pollutants clinging to your mind by default.
“We become that to which we give our attention.” – Aristotle
There comes a time when each of us, mindful or not, sees our expectations of moving forward outpacing our actual performance. And the result is that we find ourselves mentally stuck or stalled in a, well, let’s call it a “crappy place”. But while it feels very real, it’s often just feeling and not fact. So ending up there once in a while is not necessarily something that has to be “fixed” right away.
Sounds crazy, right? Well, here’s the method behind my madness: If you can focus on maintaining a certain level of objectivity while you are in the middle of a mental maelstrom, you can actually get a lot more insight (about you & it) than if you were outside of it. Think about it: You get the benefits of being an objective observer as well as the benefits of being an active participant – kind of like being a war correspondent on the battlefield but without having to worry about being shot at.
So next time you find yourself mentally in a “crappy place”, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, enthusiastically seize the opportunity to learn something about how you operate on your deepest levels – it may be a little scary, but it’s a great way to uncover some of that hidden potential.
Nietzsche sums it up beautifully: “He possesses heart who knows fear but masters fear; who sees the abyss, but sees it with pride. He who sees the abyss, but with eagle’s eyes – he who grasps the abyss with an eagle’s claws: he possesses courage.”