Have you ever been asked; ‘Are you a “glass half full” or “glass-half-empty” kind of person?’ Cliché sayings like this one are used far too often to categorize the type of outlook we have on life.
Have you ever thought to respond; ‘If it’s something I like to drink then it’s half-empty, but if it’s something I hate; then it’s half-full!’ Does this answer mean you are ‘positive’, ‘negative’ or simply a ‘smart-aleck’?
Truth is, every one of us possesses positive, negative and smart-aleck tendencies. How we process these tendencies internally and expose them to others is what we should pay attention to. Depending on who we are with, our attitudes may be overpowering and can influence the feelings of everyone around us. Even those who “don’t say much” or categorize themselves as a “wallflower” can influence the attitudes of others.
Certainly your life experiences play a role in how you see the world and others, but it doesn’t mean the world has done you wrong and it “owes you one”.
You do have the power within you to look at the world, your co-workers, your friends and your family from a different perspective. In fact, according to sciencedaily.com, a review of more than 160 studies of human and animal subjects has found “clear and compelling evidence” that — all else being equal — happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers.
So how do we ‘get happy’? For one thing, we don’t turn to stimulants like alcohol or drugs or punish others mentally or physically to make ourselves feel better. The mayoclinic.com suggests several strategies. One of them is to practice “self-talk”.
You start by following one simple rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Here are some examples:
Negative self-talk: I’ve never done it before.
Positive thinking: Time to learn something new.
Negative self-talk: It’s too complicated.
Positive thinking: I’ll try another way.
Negative self-talk: There’s no way it will work.
Positive thinking: I can try to make it work.
Negative self-talk: No one bothers to communicate with me.
Positive thinking: I’ll see if I can open the channels of communication.
