In life, we are all faced with challenge and failure as they are essential to reaching success and our greatest potential.  However, oftentimes, we go overboard and beat ourselves up for our failures, dwelling on the negative.  

We need to allow ourselves to focus on the positive in our lives, and start to even the balance.  The result?  We address our challenges and failures without allowing them to bring us down, causing us to be motivated, productive, happy, and succeed!

Here are 3 tips practice positive thinking:

1. Express Gratitude:  To help your brain store positive events, reflect on what you are grateful for and why at least once a week. Write down your blessings, such as the opportunity to pursue a career you love or family and friends who support you.  “Day One” is a journaling application for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac ($4.99)  or “OhLife” is free email-based journal both designed to help you establish a daily habit of keeping a nightly log of positive events that happened during each day.
2. Repeat Positive Affirmations:  The more often you hear a message, the more likely you are to believe it.  The same goes for messages about who you are and what you are capable of doing.  By repeating positive affirmations with conviction several times each morning, you are training your brain to believe them.  Choose two to three affirmations that represent your values and goals, such as “I can handle whatever comes my way,” “There is plenty of time,” or “I’m getting better every day.”  The repetition will influence the way you interpret negative events, causing you to be more resilient.
3. Challenge Negative Thoughts:  To combat a negative thought, start by imagining the thought as separate from yourself, as something you can observe and deconstruct.  Next, challenge the negative thought that is unfairly self-deprecating.  Practice interpreting the same event differently, as an interpretation that is gentler, truer, and more proactive.  No one performs this thought process naturally, you will need to learn and practice.

Be Good to Yourself, Physically and Mentally!