After six months of Covid 19 and no end in sight, it feels like most people are feeling some negativity in life. It was so eloquently captured by The Body Coach Joe Wicks this week. He shared how he is having such a tough time emotionally, that this is really bringing him down and he is finding it hard to be optimistic.
Covid 19, lockdown, social distancing, redundancies, loneliness – the impact has touched everyone in some form. Whether its financial difficulties, relationship issues or work problems there are many negative emotions around. Every one of us can benefit from the power of positive thinking as captured in Ant Middleton’s new book.
It is filled this lessons how how to face up to the challenges that come our way, like those we’re experiencing due to the pandemic.
As Ant says..
“And there are times in life when we all feel cornered. But when a challenging situation comes your way, how are YOU going to face it? … I’ll give you the tools you need to face challenges with positivity, embrace failure and use it to your advantage and become the best version of yourself. Today is a new dawn. Make it count.”
Ant shows you how to develop resilience, what it means to embrace positive thinking. Here are some of the key soundbites I took from the book that seem especially relevant now:
- To be positive, you really need to embrace and understand yourself fully. Positive people are usually hungry to discover themselves. Know that there are no shortcuts and it’s only when you start to make the most of yourself that you will make the most of life. Understand yourself better to lead a life with more positivity.
- Change shakes up everything. You can’t stop the process, but you can make sure you pick up on all the positives that emerce. See change as a process that opens up new spaces. Recognise you cant always change your environment – which is especially true in a pandemic. You can however change how you perceive it and deal with it.
- It’s ok to hit rock bottom. If you dont have negativity, you dont know what positivity is. If you are not willing to plunge into the fear and uncertainty, you wont reap the rewards of coming up the other side.
- Approach the world as a positive place. Dont fall into the trap of seeing it as aggressive and intimidating. Treat it as an environment that has challenges, but is essentially welcoming and full of opportunity.
- Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Work on your weaknesses so they stop holding you back. But remember that not all weaknesses have to be worked on – only the ones that are stopping you achieving something you want to achieve.
- Make the most of you strengths. Dont let them go to waste. No good ever came from hiding away your talents.
- Grab inspiration from positive people when you can – whether its someone close to you or someone you dont know very well.
- Don’t get lost in over thinking. Not all questions need to be answered, and not all questions need to be posed. Learn what you need from them and move on.
- Focus on whats important to you. Strip your life down to the essentials, whether its family, your career or a particular passion. Csnider cutting anything away that is getting in the way of those priorities.
- Acknowledge and try to let go of negative elements from the past so it does not stop you having a positive future.
