The Secret to Positive Thinking by Lisa Roy - HTML preview

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Chapter 3 – Powerful Habits Which Lead To Positive Thinking

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“I have learned that champions aren’t just born; champions can be made when they embrace and commit to life-changing positive habits.”

- Lewis Howes

Our habits define us. When you develop positive habits, you become a positive person. However, if most of your habits are bad or negative, then you’re probably not the kind of person positive people would want to be around with.

Habits don’t appear overnight. You have to be doing specific actions consciously and repeatedly for a period of time. When it becomes part of your routine without you needing to think about it, then that action has finally become a habit.

Undoing negative habits and replacing them with positive ones will take time. First, you’re going to have to consciously work on forgetting old habits. It’s going to be very tough in the beginning. In fact, many experts say undoing or stopping a habit is harder than working on a new one!

What you can do is you can try associating a bad habit with a good one. For example, if you’ve made it a habit of smoking right after a heavy meal, then you may want to replace smoking with chewing some gum or going for a light walk in your neighborhood. You have to be self-aware at all times if you want to undo a negative habit and replace it with a more positive one.

Now, there are many positive habits you can try to develop. The habits listed below are far from being comprehensive, but these should help you get on the way to thinking positively!

1. Get enough sleep

I’m sure you’ve had some nights where you had to stay up late and then wake up very early the next day. Maybe it was while you were working on a very important school project, or reviewing for an important exam, or doing some overtime for your work.

Do you remember how you felt when you woke up? Did you feel great? I bet not! I bet your head probably felt like it was going to split in two. When you don’t get enough sleep, you feel tired. You feel cranky. You feel sore all over. It sets a bad tone for the whole day. This is why getting enough sleep is important – you’ll feel fresh, energized, and far more positive throughout the day!

2. Exercise regularly

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People exercise for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s to lose weight or get some extra energy, exercising should be part of your daily routine.

You don’t have to go running 10 miles every day. But you should at least try to go for a walk – or anything really that will get you off your chair! – to burn off some calories.

Rest is also important so just remember not to push your body too much. For best results, it’s best to consult with an expert to find the best exercise program for your needs.

With that said, exercising will help you feel so much better about yourself. You won’t hate yourself as much, and you know you’re doing something to reach your goals – that’s positive thinking right there!

3. Establish a morning ritual habit

To have a morning ritual habit, you’re going to need the discipline to teach yourself to wake up early. If you normally wake up at midday, it’s going to be difficult. Even more so if you’re a night owl.

The benefits of having a morning ritual habit can’t be ignored.

Most of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and CEO’s have a morning ritual habit.

They wake up early in the morning so they can plan the day ahead. They find the time to exercise or update their journal. They plan their day with their to-do lists and their calendars. They accomplish a lot of things before their family, and their neighbors even get out of bed!

4. Take care of your hygiene

Taking care of your body is extremely important. After all, we’ve only got one body in this lifetime. If you abuse it, then it’s not going to last very long. When your body fails, you leave this world for good.

It might sound morbid, but you know it’s true. Taking care of your body begins with proper hygiene. Parents instill good hygiene in their kids. But over time, we may become lazy and start neglecting basic and proper hygiene which leads to illnesses and diseases.

Having good personal hygiene habits don’t just mean looking good on the outside. It also means feeling great on the inside. When you feel good both inside and out, and you’re not worried about different ailments, then you’ll be more prone to thinking positive thoughts.

5. Start reading good books

Education doesn’t stop at school, and reading doesn’t stop the moment you leave school for good. Our brains are meant to soak up knowledge. If you ever want to achieve something, then you’re going to have to expand your horizons. You want to develop new skills and pick up new knowledge.

Many successful entrepreneurs find the time to read a book from time to time. They’ve made it a habit to absorb knowledge whenever they can. Knowing new stuff opens up your world. It makes you think of possibilities. It makes you more optimistic, and you learn about new opportunities along the way.

6. Be financially healthy

If you’re constantly plagued by financial troubles, then it’s going to be challenging to think positively. But it can be done. Many people have gone from bankruptcy to immense wealth. They probably felt sorry for themselves at first, then they kicked those negative thoughts out the window and worked on achieving their dreams!

Make it a habit to learn about personal finance. Learn to save regularly. Study how you can make your money work for you even while you sleep, so you don’t have to spend the rest of your life trading your time for money.

Financial independence is possible – you just need to have some healthy financial habits in place plus a good dose of positive thinking!

7. Do something kind each day

Being kind goes a long way to cheering up and making other people feel good about themselves. Help those who genuinely need help whether they ask for it or not.

Many people do still have pride even though they’re going through some soul-crushing challenges at the moment. If you know they can use a kind word or a hug, do it. You can maybe take them out to lunch or dinner, or maybe just listen to them unload their feelings on you.

An act of kindness lets other people know about the kind of person you are – a helpful, kind and positive human being.

8. Practice mindfulness

Being mindful means you’re aware of what’s going on right at that very moment. But with too much distraction in our surroundings, practicing mindfulness is easier said than done.

If you want to be more mindful, you’re going to have to make it a habit to find a quiet place so you can focus on your breaths. 10-15 minutes each time is sufficient.

Over time, once you’ve picked up the habit of being mindful, you’ll find it much easier to block off unwanted distractions so you can focus on what’s around you at that very moment.

9. Stop procrastinating

If you constantly procrastinate, then it’s probably already so ingrained in you it’s become a habit. There’s nothing good about procrastinating – this bad habit has got to go!

The thing is you can’t just stop procrastinating. It’s going to be a work in progress. You need to make the conscious effort of stopping yourself when you know you’re going to be procrastinating again!

With time and repetition, you’re going to be able to overcome this habit, and you’ll be able to do what needs to be done without resorting to delaying tactics.

10. Laugh when you can

They say laughter is the best medicine. It brings out feelings of joy not just within you, but others around you too. Putting on a serious face all the time is tiring. Let your fun side surface from time to time too!

No one wants to be around someone dour. You’ll be known as the party pooper. Haven’t you noticed it’s always the funny people who seem to be the life of the party? We gravitate towards them, don’t we?

We feel so much better when we laugh, so try to make it a habit to laugh many times a day. You’ll feel like the weight of the world’s been lifted off your shoulders when you’re shaking with laughter!