I think everybody could use more positivity in their lives, it doesn’t matter who you are, I’m sure everybody would agree that living a positive life is a LOT better than living a negative one.
Our habits, our thoughts and our actions are responsible for nearly everything in our lives – our successes, our failures, our goals, our careers, our friends and family.
I’m sure we can all also agree that we may have some habits that aren’t quite as positive. For example, I have a habit of not closing the toothpaste lid (sorry Karl if you’re reading this). But instead of focusing on those negative, annoying habits, I want to know what positive habits you have adapted to your life.
Grab a piece of paper (or a new note on your phone) and I want you to list 10 positive habits you have that helps you live a healthier, happier and calmer life. I feel that everybody should have at least 10, I probably have 20-30 positive habits I do each and every day that helps mould my mindset, productivity and lifestyle.
If you’re struggling with writing 10, then I want you to adapt some of mine! Here they are.
♡ Positive mindset
Any decision you ever make comes from your mind. To be able to make positive decisions which are in your best interest, you need to have a positive mindset. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not always positive (ask my family!). In fact, until recently, I had a negative belief that the world is against me. I truly believed that because of all of the obstacles that I have had to face in the past year. Every single time something bad happened to me, I genuinely wasn’t surprised because “the world hated me”.
But, I worked and continue to work hard on training and rerouting my mind to think more positively. Imagine your mind as a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it will get. Start by calling yourself out when you say anything negative and replacing it with something positive.
I’ll use a personal example that I had just yesterday. My son had an appointment at the hospital which we have been waiting six months for and it was cancelled. I instantly thought and even texted my Mum saying that I wasn’t surprised because of course, it would happen to me. I let myself sulk for 20 minutes and then rerouted my train of thought to thinking to “I’m grateful it is being rescheduled because I’m not myself today and couldn’t have survived a night in the hospital with my son”.
I’ll definitely be writing a blog post specifically on positive mindset in the future, so keep an eye out.
♡ Stop saying yes
Of course, I don’t mean everything. Say yes to things you are able to do and you want to do but don’t say yes to things you don’t want to do or can’t do (for whatever reason).
I have always been a yes person. I would help anybody and everybody. It drained the life out of me. Once I started to say no to the things I didn’t have time for or didn’t want to do, my to-do list was more manageable and I enjoyed my days more.
♡ Surround yourself with positivity
This is another point which I’ll be writing a specific blog post about! Stop surrounding yourself around negativity. Whether that is people, work, news, advertising or clients.
You can control how much negativity you let into your life. It doesn’t mean you need to cut people out completely, but you can limit your time with them.
I started by unfollowing anybody and everybody on social media that made me think or feel anything negative. The people themselves weren’t negative but if they made me think that I wasn’t “skinny” enough or “pretty enough, buh-bye. I also unfollowed people from school who I haven’t spoken to in 10 years and all news stations.
♡ Exercise your body
Exercise is literally proven to create a more positive mindset AND you will end up with a healthier body. Win-win.
Remember exercise doesn’t have to be your typical run 10km every morning. My forms of exercise are weight training, cardio, yoga, walking, HIIT and Pilates. I would also LOVE to try boxing and pole dancing.
♡ Exercise your mind and practise mindfulness
Exercising your mind is just as important as exercising your body. You can do this by journaling, meditating, listening to podcasts, reading books and expanding your knowledge.
PS you’re doing this one right now by reading this blog!
♡ Plan
Sorry for putting such a boring point in here! But, it’s super important to plan. I literally plan everything, I have long-term plans for my renovations, budget, purchasing investment properties, for my family and for my businesses. I also have smaller plans including what meals we will have this week, what blog post do I need to write about, how is my son getting home from daycare, what am I buying my Mum for her birthday.
My top tip for plans is to have a to-do list! I have an app called “To-Do” and it allows you to create multiple lists and tick them off as you go. I have a to-do list for each day of the week (except for Sunday) which I can put things into and stay on top of.
♡ Practise gratitude
I’ll admit, this one took some time to get used too. Sometimes you just do not want to grateful. Especially when the McDonald's staff member forgets your sweet and sour sauce, sure you could be grateful you’re saving those calories but believe me, at that moment I am not.
By putting finding a reason to be grateful for things that go right and wrong in your life, you’re one step ahead of millions of other people who only focus on the bad stuff.
I’ll also do a blog post on this one soon too!
As I mentioned at the beginning, I could write a whole heap of positive habits but the above 7 habits are my most important. Start with these and trust me, things will change for the better.
With love
Shorina xo
Counsellor + Wellness & Mental Health Coach
Hi, I'm Shorina and I'm an Australian Counsellor + Wellness & Mental Health Coach. I'm here to support you to redefine your relationship to self and life! I incorporate a mind, body and soul wellness approach to my work with a focus on healing and mindfulness ♡