Positive Minds, Positive Lives

Our mindset has a powerful impact on our thoughts, our behaviors and our actions. Let’s talk about how a positive mind creates a positive life – and the positive habits that lead to success.

Warmly,
Melanie Ott

Words of Inspiration

“If you can change your mind, you can change your life.” ~ William James

“When you possess light from within, you see it externally.” ~ Anais Nin

Positive Minds, Positive Lives

Consider the impact your mind has on your life. This quote from Lao Tzu sums it up beautifully:

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habit.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

Wow – that’s just five steps from thoughts to destiny! Clearly our mind has
great power over our success and happiness.

Choose Positivity

Positive thinking is an attitude that helps you focus on the bright side and expect positive results. Every day, with every thought that crosses your mind, you have the power to choose positivity or negativity. You choose to allow life’s trials to knock you down, or to let them roll off your back – to think the worst, or hope for the best.

Benefits of Positive Thinking

But bad things do happen – so how can an optimistic viewpoint prepare you for setbacks? Positive thinkers benefit from their upbeat outlook in many ways. They are resilient, able to take bad events in stride, view setbacks as temporary, and believe good things lie ahead. Health-wise, optimists feel happier and are less likely to suffer from depression and chronic stress.

Change Your Mindset

With practice you can change your mindset. Start by reframing how you view and define events. Instead of dwelling on a negative experience, consider what good came from it, what personal strengths you discovered, and what you learned from the experience. In my life, a difficult boss ending up being the catalyst I needed to kickstart my coaching business. Without that experience I may never have taken the leap of faith to leave my job and run my own business. A bad situation lead me to a great new career!

What good might come of your setback or challenge?

Tips for Building a Positive Mindset

Live in the moment. Living in the past can consume you with regret and living in the future can wrack you with worry. The present is where you have power over your choices. Choose to think positive thoughts, right now, in this moment – and reap the rewards.

Practice gratitude. Few things are as helpful in cultivating a positive mindset as living gratefully – and one of the key habits of grateful people is keeping a gratitude journal. Whether it’s noting one thing a day or ten, reminding yourself of all your blessings is a great way to stay positive.

Challenge your beliefs. Anytime you find yourself down, fearful, or angry, observe your thoughts. Often, you’ll find your mind swirling with distorted or ungrounded thoughts. Be prepared to dispute and replace them with more helpful thoughts and beliefs.

Find the silver lining. Remember the old adage, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Train your brain to look for the positive, even in a negative situation. When you get stuck in traffic, use the time to call your mom – or, when something goes wrong at work, consider what you learned from your mistake.

Focus on the Future …

At Leap Forward Coaching we have a process to help you cultivate positive thoughts to build your positive life! Our thoughtful methods help you develop a mindset of positivity to bring success in every facet of your life.

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© 2015, Leap Forward Coaching