February is the month of love – but if you’ve lost that self-loving feeling, then I want to share 10 things you can do right now to adopt a more positive attitude and start feeling better about yourself.
You might say, “Well, Terry, I don’t need that. I feel great. I feel fantastic.”
Well, I’m certainly very happy for you, but I promise you there will come a time when something bad happens that might set you back a bit. But that’s okay, because if that moment does come around, you’ll be more prepared to brush it off and keep moving forward with full confidence.
No. 1: Feed Your Mind With Positivity
You’ve absolutely got to start feeding your mind with the pure, the positive, and the good stuff. When other people have opinions about you that you don’t agree with, that shouldn’t matter.
It’s none of your business what others think of you – all you need to do is focus on you and become the best version of yourself. Only you know what that looks like.
Remember: Variety is the spice of life. So be you.
No. 2: Take a Personal Inventory
Next thing is to take a personal inventory of your assets. You’re running a million dollar machine right there in your body. You have your eyes, your smell, your taste, you can walk, talk, and run, you have a mind more brilliant than any computer. You know, the great pianist Liberace insured his hands for millions of dollars. You might overlook these things, but just imagine for a moment if you didn’t have them.
Be grateful for your body and your abilities.
No. 3: Read Success Stories
It’s important to learn what we can from the success of others. Whether it’s Sylvester Stallone, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, or someone else entirely, listen to advice from good, successful people.
When you crowd your mind with the positive, it leaves less room for the negative.
No. 4: Do Something for Someone Else
Many times, when you start feeling bad, the focus is internal. It comes from within. We say, “My life sucks, my car isn’t so good, and my job doesn’t pay me enough. Poor me, poor me, poor me.”
You’ve gotta get out of that frame of mind and start focusing on other people. You have to do something for someone who cannot do it for themselves. Volunteer, donate some of your old clothes, give out snacks or meals to homeless folk.
Take the focus off yourself, and you’ll start to see your life is actually a whole lot better than it seems.
No. 5: Choose the Friend
It’s important to choose the right people to hang out with. Make sure you’re choosing friends.
Don’t spend your time with the naysayers, negative Nellies, or Debbie downers. Hang out with those who lift you up, support you, and who are upbeat and enthusiastic.
Find the right people – choose the friend.
No. 6: Identify Positive Qualities You Want to Embody
Take a look at people you respect and figure out what qualities they bring to the table.
Trust. Honesty. Enthusiasm. Helpfulness. Empathy. Once you identify these qualities in others, you can start to embody them yourself.
No. 7: Make a List of Your Successes
A great friend of mine Rebecca has something she calls a Happy Folder.
This is a collection of post-it notes and messages from clients or colleagues containing compliments or things that happened that were really good for her. When she has a bad day, she reads through stories of better times.
What this will do is allow you to get some perspective on your life. It might seem like things aren’t going so well right now, but it’s important to remember that happier times are always on the horizon as they were in the past.
No. 8: Get in Shape
The mind and the body work together. When the body feels good, the mind often follows.
It’s vital that we nourish ourselves with healthy foods and spend the necessary time being active. Go for a bike ride, hit some golf balls, take a walk on your break from work. When you get your blood flowing, those endorphins start kicking in, and you start feeling better.
Believe me – even I don’t always feel like going to Orangetheory Fitness first thing in the morning. But when I’m done with class, when I’ve put in the work, there’s nothing better. There’s no better feeling than taking care of yourself, investing time in yourself.
No. 9: Remember Your Manners
Manners make the world go round. Learn how to shake hands with people, help someone walk across the street or put away their groceries, make good eye contact and smile wide. All I’m suggesting is that when you’re polite and respectful, people will return the favor.
And when that happens, you start feeling better about yourself.
No. 10: Read a Good Book
Find a good book and embark on a new journey.
Take some time away from the TV and your friends and enjoy the solitude of a great story.
A Final Note
None of these things will work for you if you don’t treat yourself with kindness. It’s better to lead a life full of positivity than one of negativity, after all.
So, what are you telling yourself? What does your internal dialogue look like? Try creating some positive affirmations you tell yourself every day.
Focus on turning negative to positive, and the rest will follow.
I’ll leave you with this poem:
“Be a task great or small,
Do it well or not at all.
Be it boring or a little fun,
Do not quit until it’s done.”
As always, thanks for reading my blog. For more advice about goal setting, be sure to tune into my podcast that airs every Tuesday.