10 tips to banish negativity

“If scarcity is what you see, it’s scarcity you’ll find. If prosperity is what you see, it’s prosperity you’ll find. Which would you choose to see?” Camilla Hazell

Almost everywhere we turn, from friends, to family; to colleagues to the media we hear reports of financial doom and gloom.  Retrenchments here, property sales down there… And doesn’t misery love company? We have little choice about what everyone else is saying, but we certainly have a choice in what we say, what we think & our perception of the situation.

If we think negatively, we see negative situations all around us, we start having negative experiences and then we can say, “See it’s not my fault, it’s because of…”  Our negative perception (which we inadvertently gained from others) is supported by our own negative thoughts. And here we give our power to the doomsayers without taking any accountability ourselves.

Of course, the current world economy is more than likely to impact many of us, however, we can make it a choice to view it as a problem that is out of our control or we can view as a challenge that can be overcome.  Personally, I prefer the latter option.

Are you apathetic? 

Should you be of the school of thought that there is nothing you can do to about it and prefer apathy for company then chances are you will enjoy the company of other doomsayers. 

Or are you a solution seeker?

If you are a ‘bull by the horns’ type of person, then perhaps some of my tips for overcoming negativity will be useful to you.

“To be a sage means that when you look around you, you see only beauty. You will come to understand how everything you experience is a projection of your inner landscape or dream. This means that nothing ever happens to you, since you’re the creator of each event and incident in your life. So you never need to fix anything in the outer world – if you want to transform some circumstance that appears to be outside of yourself, you just need to own it and change it within!” * Anon

Choose how you deal with adversity and challenges

“Every adversity carries within it the seed of equal or greater opportunity” Napoleon Hill

10 Tips for overcoming Negativity

1. Reduce the amount of negativity you hear from others.  This may be the media, your friends, family or colleagues.

2. Balance Life is all about balance.  Some negativity is normal…You have to have up to experience down, light to know dark, left to know right and likewise the opposite of positive is negative.  Even the atom, the matter from which everything is made, has both positive and negative charges.  So some negativity is normal.  So how do you know when there is too much of it?  You’ll know.

3. Acknowledge fears and worries, and then focus on the solution.  If we keep them in our head without addressing them they swim around in there and we start operating from a place of overwhelm instead of clarity.

4. Protect your mind from believing all the negativity.  Negativity is just a perception – nine times out of ten – it’s someone else’s perception. Replace negative thoughts with potential solutions.

5. Look for opportunities and keep an open mind and positive attitude to see them, or they will pass by.  If a door closes, look out for the one opening. 

6. Focus on your goals and keep looking forward.  Write your goals down and keep taking steps (actions) towards them.  Small steps towards them give a sense of achievement and keep your motivation up.

7. Plan for potential obstacles that could trip you up so that you have an alternative solution.  Planning will help keep you on track towards your goals.

8. Be Creative and focus on solution orientated thinking.  Rather than thinking of the worst possible outcome, look for the best possible solutions.  Brainstorm to gain alternative insights and ideas from friends, family and team mates.  Not all ideas may be viable but they will certainly help you find potential creative possibilities.

9. Give a little as no matter how bad things are for you, chances are someone else is worse off.  This does not need to be financial aid.  You can share your time, resources and knowledge to help someone.

10. Rejuvenate and take care of yourself.  This means taking time out for yourself to exercise, eat healthy, have quiet times.  Spend time doing things you love to do – even the simple things like feeling sand between your toes or taking a hot shower.  Simple pleasures rejuvenate us and quiet time allows us time to think and gain new perspectives.

*Received this quote via email with no indication of who said or wrote it.  If you know the source, we’d appreciate it if you’d let us know.

You Unlimited 2009 © Camilla Hazell