Positive Spin

Love my day by looking at all my experiences in a positive light.

Update: I ended up writing about some things that were bothering me and putting a positive spin on them. It really did make me feel grateful for my life.

Letting It Go

I had someone do some hurtful things to me over a period of time and I really need to get over this. On March 12th, I wrote in my gratitude journal a list of qualities about 2 dear people in my life. It reminded me of how much I have to be grateful for. This time, I am going to write a list of qualities I admire about someone I have negative feelings about. In my case, the person I talked about in the paragraphs opening sentence. I hope this will be cathartic, and that I can do it.

Update: I wasn't that successful with this activity. Nor did I find it cathartic. Back to the drawing board on letting it go.

Talk To Someone New

Engage someone new in a conversation. It could be a co-worker you usually just say hello to, or fellow church member, neighbor etc. Some starters could be: Do you have any plans for the weekend. How are the kids? Your yard looks beautiful, did you add some new plantings? I only need 1 or 2 questions to engage in a short conversation. I've probably made that person feel good, myself for doing something I don't normally do, and hopefully, added more gracious living for myself.

Moving On

Don't make my problems worse than they really are. Fixating on a problem can make it all consuming and feed my negativity. I need to feed my soul with healthy, positive and grateful living.

Control. What Control?

One of the things I'm learning from my works downsizing, is to stop focusing on what I can't control and to move onto the things I do have control of. One pulls me into a discomforting, agitative state and the other helps me remain calm and positive.

Happy People, Happy Me

I'm watching my teenager right now laughing and playing with her cat and it makes me so happy. I find myself smiling and being lifted up by her happiness. My activity is going to be happy and see if I can lift others up so that they too will feel happier. I'm going to have a big, genuine smile on my face and project positiveness. Does this sound like hard work?

Quieting The Mind

I will spend 5 minutes when I wake up to quiet my mind. Since thoughts will creep in my mind, I will focus on a place that is calming and is a place of beauty to me. My calming place has beautiful alpine flowers on the ground, a large rock to lean my body against, a small stream, a sea of mountains in the horizon ,and billowy clouds in the sun filled sky. I will take myself to my sacred place and enjoy the scenery, feel the sun on my face, the gentle breeze through my hair, and enjoy the calmness it is bringing to the start of my beautiful day.

Collage of Inspiration

Put together a collage of things, feelings, places, and people that makes me happy.

Love My Rose Colored Glasses

Let go of the negative people in my life: The ones that always complain and make me feel bad with all the sadness that they project. Of course, if they are family or work peers, I need to think about how I can minimize my interactions with them. I want to be surrounded by positive people as they lift me up and make me a better person.

It's Not About Me

Do you ever have people say something unkind to you or about you? Has anyone ever been dismissive or rude to you? I believe that other peoples bad behavior is about the other person and who they are. It's not about me.

My activity is that I will not take things personally. If someone is unkind to me, I will remind myself that it is not about me.

Love Is Everywhere

Today I saw a slogan on a child's t-shirt that was “Love is Everywhere.” I just loved it and decided that tomorrow I will adopt that as my mantra. Every time I see something I love or am grateful for I will say, out loud or in my head, love is everywhere.

Update: I feel almost silly admitting this, but saying to myself that love is everywhere throughout the day, really kept me centered and made me grateful.

Life Is A Gift

Look at life as if it is a gift rather than a burden. One more take on being positive rather than negative.

Being In The Moment

When in a conversation, let the other person complete their sentence. Look them in their eyes and give them affirmations by nodding at the appropriate time. People will feel good that I am listening to them rather than waiting for an opportunity to have my say. Active listening is a wonderful skill to learn.

Update: I have a lot more work to do to become the person I'd love to be. Oh well.

No News Is Good News

Spend the day news free. Don't read the Sunday paper, listen to NPR, or turn on the evening news. This is my attempt at not bringing negativity into my day from the news.

Update: This is a tough one when you are living with a news junkie.

Shhhhh

Allow myself quiet time: Time to be reflective, to let go of stuff, to bring calm in and let anxiety out.

Appreciating Me

Appreciate all that I do. In my gratitude journal, I'll write a list of what I appreciate about myself.

Appreciating My Loved One

Since starting this journey, I find I am focusing a lot on what I want to change about myself. Letting others know how much I appreciate them is important to me and I feel I do a good job of this with most people. Lately, I have not let my husband know how much I appreciate who he is and his many contributions to our family, relationship and our life.

The activity is to let someone know how much you appreciate them. It can be done with words, giving them your attention, or active listening for instance.

Life is a Gift

I used to be one of those people that tended to look at the glass half empty. Through the years, I've come to appreciate my beautiful life and all that I have and I'm now a much more positive person. Life is a gift and I want to treasure all the gifts it has given me.

Look at my glass half full today.

Don't Stew When Hurt

I don't understand vindictiveness. When people are so hurt by some perceived action or lack of action from others, that they do something to get even or they hurt another as they feel they have been hurt. I am at the point in my life when I want to be told if I wrong someone else. Don't let it stew as I am quite approachable. When someone says or does something hurtful, call them on it. For example: I am hurt when... I'm not sure I understand why you feel this way. I'm sorry, how can we move forward with this.

Conflict Resolution 101

I will use I statements today. When teaching children about conflict resolution, we model for them that using I statements such as, I feel hurt when I can't play hopscotch with you, is less threatening than saying you won't let me play hopscotch.

Let Go of Gossiping

I had a college roommate that complained I wouldn't ever talk about people. When I went back our sophomore year I tried to gossip, but it felt wrong to me. I'm human and as such I've gossiped even when I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. Being part of a group that is talking about someone else may seem fun, but it is at someone else's expense.

I am going to be intentional about not gossiping.

Rewind

As mentioned before, there is a lot of anxiety over potential layoffs at my place of work. The roller coaster ride of emotions is stressful. One minute I feel like my friends and I will survive the downsizing and in the next, something is said that makes me think I'll be let go. I've had enough of looking at aspects of my life from a negative perspective. For the next few days, I'd like to work on releasing negativity from my live as much as I can control.

Think about the things I feel bad or guilty about. Today explore one of those. Is there something I can do to make it right? Replay the situation, but this time replace the negativity, the thing I feel bad about, with how I wish I had responded originally. I always play the game of replaying something I said or did with what I wished I had said or done. Next, if this involves some wrong I caused to a person, I could even contact this person, apologize, hope they accept the apology, and whether they accept it or not, I'll move on and release the guilt.

Update: Since I started this journey about 8 weeks ago, I've become more aware of aspects of myself and my life that need some work. Making amends for relationships that need more attention is now a major priority in my life.

Finding The Good

When everything feels like it is going wrong and I'm feeling down, stop and ask myself, “What's one positive thing that happened today?” Finding the good will, hopefully, change my attitude and therefore, turn my day around.

Grateful For Me

Write a list of 5 traits I like about myself in my gratitude journal.

Life's Memories

When I was at the beach on a summer vacation with my family, I picked up a small, smooth, unusual shell. On days I need to be reminded that life is a joy, I carry that shell in my pocket. When my hand touches that shell, it picks up my mood and gives me renewed energy. My memory of that special, family time puts a smile on my face and reminds me of how much I have to be grateful for.

Tomorrow, I'll carry one of my memories or a special picture in my pocket to help me stay positive.

Update: I love this activity. Every time I touched my shell, it brought back a great vacation with my family. Feelings of love, comfort, warmth and pure bliss would fill me. Collecting other memories of special times, is now a high priority item for me. Touching my shell was a great way for me to keep putting my life in perspective today.

Give Myself A Break

Carve out at least 10 minutes for myself. Even if I have to sit in the bathroom for 10 minutes and read, draw, or write, then that is what I'll do.

Take Time To Smell The Roses

When did my life become so complicated that I won't make time for the simple joys in life? I was given this battery operated toothbrush that is supposed to clean teeth really well about 3 months ago. It has not come out of the packaging yet, because I couldn't find the time to set it up. This is really sad to me that I haven't made the time for something as simple as this. I am going to slow it down, savor a cup of tea, sit outside and smell the blossoms, feel the sunshine on my face and listen to the sounds of children playing, laughing and shrieking in the neighborhood.

That toothbrush is going to be used tonight.

Using Affirmations

Write an affirmation. Write it on an index card that I'll put in my pocket and read throughout my day. Put a copy of it on the mirror and put a copy of it on the refrigerator reading it each time I see or feel it.

Using Rose Colored Glasses

Focus on the positive rather than the negative. I am not saying to ignore the bad in life, but rather to celebrate and build on the good.

Update:Looking at life through rose colored glassed worked for me this weekend.

Be In The Moment

If in a conversation, then converse rather than looking around or worse yet, at your watch. If playing with my children, then be there in the game with them rather than checking my email. Give people my undivided attention.