3 keys to help you be positive regardless of what’s going on around you (and why it's important for your health)

How positive do you feel right now? Using a scale from 1 – 10 where 1 is not at all positive, at anytime and 10 is oozing with consistent positivity. Choose a number, quickly (there's no need to overthink or analyse this, trust your intuition to lead you to the right number for you).

Is that where you want it to be?

The smooth sailing myth

In life and at work or in business, there are always going to be ups and downs, highs and lows. It doesn’t matter who you are, what stage of life you're at, or how experienced you are at work or as a business owner, it’s never going to be continuous smooth sailing.

And truth be told, smooth sailing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you’re waiting, wanting and wishing for things to be easier or problem-free, stop.

In the words of Jim Rohn … “Don't wish it was easier wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom”

So why is being positive important?

Now let’s get one thing clear, being positive doesn’t mean being happy 24 x 7 x 365. Being positive is about your mindset, it’s how you view what’s going on around you.

You're still going to experience the beautiful range of human emotions. But with a positive mindset you'll be able to respond to the situations that triggered the emotions in a more constructive way. That means less stress and less negative impact on your health.

In practical terms a positive mindset moves you from being a victim ("why is this happening to me?") to a self-leader ("why is this happening?"). That shift in thinking better supports your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health. 

How to remain positive regardless of what’s going on around you

Use these 3 keys to create a more positive mindset…

Key # 1 – View problems as opportunities that help you learn and grow. The best place to start with this is to be clear about the facts. When a problem arises it’s easy to get caught up in emotion, blame and assumptions. Put on your self-leader hat, step back or hover above the problem, define it, and then identify how you'll respond (note I said respond not react - reacting is a victim response).

Key # 2 – Be flexible and adaptable. While you might have a dream or goal you want to achieve in life or at work, accept that along the way things are going to happen. So while the dream or goal remains, how you achieve it may change. Your ability to flex and adapt to changing circumstances will contribute to your success and to maintaining high quality health.

Key # 3 – Balance life and work. It’s so easy to be consumed by work or get absorbed in a business problem. You’re a human being (not a machine) and taking care of yourself and your health isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Define boundaries such as only working between the hours of 8 and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or no more than one late night of work a week, or whatever is appropriate for you. Give yourself a great BIG permission slip to enjoy life and take the pressure off constantly needing to be 'on' for work.
 
Being positive is a mindset. Continually developing your ability to respond to the inevitable ups and downs, highs and lows, using the 3 keys as a starting point, will help you maintain the level of health you desire for life.

Tracey Hancock, creator and lead mentor of the High Quality Health Method – a methodology designed to help you develop and implement a plan that’s specifically tailored for you to achieve the level of health you desire for life.