I got told this week that I needed to ‘practise what I preach’ more.
Trouble is, it’s not always that easy is it? I suppose the question then becomes, how much is enough? Does trying to practise what you preach count? At what point do you become a fraud?
I have mentioned before that I’m not a naturally positive person. I come from a family of worry warts and pessimists so it’s taken me a good few years to even realise the benefits of positive thinking, but even then, when the stress rolls in, I find my natural inclination is to retreat to worry – which actually never does anyone any good.
I know this. I talk about it all the time. You know it to. You know that worrying never does any good; that sleepless nights stressing about work and what you need to do only ever result in you being more tired and less able to cope tomorrow...but you do it anyway.
What I wanted to tell you today is that IT’S OK. Honestly. If you embrace who you are as a person and accept that you’re on a journey, everything suddenly becomes a lot easier.
Instead of beating yourself up, you can say, ‘OK, so that wasn’t the most positive thing to say, but I’m aware of it, and I can try a more positive approach next time’. If you beat yourself up you’re actually only perpetuating the negativity.
It’s very rare to find a completely positive person, one who always sees the silver lining, but there is a continuum of positivity that everyone lies on somewhere. I move up and down this continuum constantly but I’m aware of it.
By making yourself consciously watch your thoughts, you are able to test yourself and ask if there is a more positive way to think about something. It might be that you can’t think in that way right now; maybe you actually want to have a bit of a strop and get some emotions out, but maybe you can shift your thoughts one notch up the spectrum?
I know I’m not always positive, but taking the time to sit and write how I should be feeling, helps me focus on where my mind should be. It doesn’t always get me there but it might move me one step closer.
I’m on a journey, just like you are, and wherever you are on that journey, whether you take a step back one day or two steps forward the next, that’s OK –
YOU’RE OK
In fact, you’re better than OK – you’re in charge of how you feel, and that’s an empowering feeling!
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