How to Expect the Best

Do you ever find yourself getting stuck in negative thought patterns and expecting the worst possible outcome in every (or most) situation?  It’s a common mindset that proves difficult to change when you finally decide you’ve had enough.  Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to breed and multiply on their own – even when you’re not consciously trying to think negatively.

The good news is that turning a negative outlook into a positive one just takes a bit of patience and persistence until the positive thoughts begin to take over.

Below you’ll find three simple steps to begin forming positive expectations on a daily basis:

1) Develop self-awareness to recognize negative expectations.  One problem with negative thoughts is that they often form below your conscious level of awareness; and you get so used to them being in your head that you hardly notice them anymore.  To turn the tide of negativity, you’ll have to develop a stronger level of self-awareness.  One good way to start is by performing self-checks several times a day.  Pay attention first to how you feel.  If you’re feeling positive and productive, most likely you’ve been thinking positive thoughts.

However, if you notice that you’re feeling irritable, pessimistic or stressed, you’re probably focusing more on negative thoughts.  When that happens…

2) Challenge and change the negative thoughts.  Believe it or not, it’s fairly easy to challenge and change negative thoughts with a little willpower and concentration.  For example, if you find yourself feeling doubtful about your ability to finish your work on time, you might engage in a bit of self-talk like this:  “Okay, so I’m feeling a bit worried right now, but really everything is okay.  I’m strong, I’m smart and I’m capable of finishing my work on time.  I’ll do my best and everything will work out fine.”  Even though nothing has changed in your outer circumstances, this type of self-talk can get you thinking and feeling more positive.

3) At the same time, while you’re changing negative thoughts to positive, work daily on developing a general positive expectation habit.  Each day when you wake up, affirm confidently, “Today is going to be a great day!  Everything will go my way and I’ll enjoy plenty of lucrative opportunities and fun!”

When you encounter obstacles or problems, see them as opportunities to learn, grow and strengthen yourself.  Perception is 99% of the game!  If you simply work on shifting the way you look at the experiences of your life, you can easily conquer your negative thought habits.

The more you focus on changing your perspective to emphasize the positive, you’ll empower yourself to create better circumstances in your life.  Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying better and more frequent opportunities and attracting other like-minded, successful people to connect with.

Beliefs 'R Us

The Bible says, "the truth shall make you free." That is a powerful statement...to those who believe it. Before you can even tap into the divine power of that statement, there is one thing that can propel you forward or hold you back. That one thing is...

BELIEF!

Your belief system holds the key that unlocks your present and future success. I can almost guarantee that any failure" you've had or currently in the midst of, your belief system probably had (has) something to do with those "failures."

Think about this: your beliefs directly affect your thoughts which, ultimately, affect your actions/behavior. Here's an example. If you believe the economy will not get any better anytime soon, more than likely your thoughts will say to you, "there aren't any jobs out there, so why look for one?" Not only will you fail to actively look but you probably won't do anything to improve your skills either.

Now the opposite belief, that the economy is on the road to recovery will lead you to think I need to position myself to be ready for opportunities that will become available. In positioning yourself, you are taking action to ensure opportunities don't pass you by. Les Brown, renown motivational speaker and author, said it best:

"It is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."

So what is a belief? The best definition I've seen is from the book, "Get Off your But" by Sean Stephenson. His definition is as follows:

"A thought is like an acorn. by itself, it is a solid little object that can't do much. If you keep it in a tin can, it will never grow. but if you plant it in soil and give it the right amount of sun, nutrients, and water, it will sprout roots and grow into a huge oak tree.

In order for a thought to become a belief, it has to be nurtured by evidence that proves its own existence. With each piece of evidence, it sprouts a root, and its foundation grows stronger. Soon, that thought (true or false) becomes a sturdy belief planted in your mind, growing stronger every day." (p.93)

This definition can't be more on point. After reading this, you should be able to evaluate your beliefs and determine which ones are limiting and which ones are empowering.

You may be familiar with the saying, "as a man thinketh, so is he." Allow me to build on that by saying, "as a man believes, so he thinks." In either case, you have the power to choose those beliefs (and thoughts) that will have you reaching new heights in your life; or you can continue to choose those that keep you comfortably lacking.

NOW BELIEVE THAT!