positive action

Inspired Action

/ Steve Lakey / 5 Comments

sunset-on-the-beach  Photo: Sunset-on-the-Beach by George Hodan

There’s taking action and then there’s “inspired” action. What’s the difference? Only you can know – by trusting your intuition. And the best way to make a connection is to be in the right frame of mind for you to get creative. It’s that “zoned-out” feeling. Like when you’re daydreaming, or half-awake. Your brainwaves are in alpha state, and it seems to help in forming original ideas. New solutions to old problems.

What is the first step to take down your particular path of choice? What single action could you take to bring you one step closer to your goal?

Focus on your end result, then “switch off” and let the answer come to you. If you’re not clear about your goal, how can you know where to begin? Positive thinking doesn’t work without positive action. The key is to move your feet, and soon. But if success was purely about putting in a good shift, there would be a lot more winners out there.

On the other hand, sitting in a cave for a month isn’t my idea of fun, and it’s probably not yours either. Instead, five minutes peace and quiet might do the trick. A few deep breaths actually do help. Breathing from your diaphragm helps to oxygenate your brain, allowing you to think clearer.

Force a smile! Smiling or laughing, even when it’s fake, causes the brain to release ‘feel-good’ chemicals. Which makes you feel better. There’s truth in the saying “Fake it ’til you make it.”

Set your intention, then get ready to move!

Gratitude Attitude

/ Steve Lakey / 2 Comments

smiley   

 Photo: Smiley by Paul Lloyd

One way to feel good is to have a gratitude attitude. Make it part of your routine. Every day and often. Nothing to feel good about? Use your imagination. It’s about putting things into perspective.

We all have endless things to feel grateful for. Take a walk in nature and see the beauty around you. Think about the technology and access to information that we take for granted. If you live in the developed world, you’re richer than most people on the planet. Wherever you live, you can still choose to view life your way. Of course people may say that you should be more “realistic” with your thinking. But who are they to say what is realistic for you? We are each able to frame our own thinking. Every day, or every moment can be a fresh start. You can only ever experience in this current moment, so why not make it feel the way you want it to.

Is it really selfish to put yourself first? Even if it goes against everything we’ve been told, how can you give to others if you’re running on empty? If you make a habit of taking some “me” time, it allows you to recharge your batteries and be more able to live and full life.

You are totally unique. Out of 107 billion people who have ever lived, there will only ever be one “you”. Start from where you are and use what you have. Don’t put off want you want to do. If the task seems daunting, take one step at a time. The only perfect time to start is NOW!

Thought Bubble

/ Steve Lakey / Leave a comment

bubbles

Photo: Bubbles by George Hodan

 

I believe we are all living in our own ‘thought bubble’ – a ‘bubble’ of consciousness. Nothing can enter without us first creating it on some level. We allow all our experiences to enter either consciously or unconsciously.

How do we monitor what’s in our bubble? It would be draining to try and analyse even our conscious thoughts. It can even be counter-productive. Once you realise that you have created negative thoughts, how does that make you feel? Even worse! How do you ‘dig out’ those negative thoughts anyway?

But in any given moment you know how you feel. If you’re not comfortable with where you are, you can do something to change it. You have a choice here. You’re the one who created the thoughts. So, re-create them. If you’re confronted with a situation you don’t like, re-frame it or shift your focus. Often, it is our resistance to the problem that makes it worse. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not going to find a solution. If something is draining your energy, put your focus elsewhere. Maybe have a cup of tea. Then come back to your original problem with fresh eyes. Winston Churchill said “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

You won’t be able to improve the economy single-handed, so worrying about it can’t move you forward. You might feel better reminding yourself that you know how to budget, so whatever happens, you won’t go under. Or you may prefer to play a round of golf, because that’s where you relax and have your best ideas, free from the clutter of day-to-day thinking.

So, escapism rules? Lets head for the hills? It’s not about avoiding the issues, it’s about facing them in the frame of mind that gives us the edge. Author Jack London wrote, “Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.” But there has to be more to it than thinking and feeling your way to happiness. You still have to take action.

It’s by taking action that the things you want will come to you. It’s no good expecting to win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. As they say, “You’ve got to be in it to win it!” But if working harder was the key to success, there would be a lot more successful people out there. Don’t work harder – work smarter.

The bottom line is: the only meaning that any incident has, is the one we assign to it. Is it a ‘disaster’ or a ‘learning experience’? Which do you prefer?

Positive Action

/ Steve Lakey / 1 Comment

woman-and-bicycle

Photo: Woman-on-Bicycle by George Hodan

Studies have shown that we each have an individual happiness level. Remarkably, even after life-changing events, the vast majority of us tend to return to that same level within twelve months. No matter what we’ve been through. Whether it is winning the lottery or experiencing one of life’s traumas.

How many people dream of winning the lottery, in order to feel happy? But it’s not having money that makes you happy. It’s your attitude towards the money – or anything else for that matter. As author Anaïs Nin wrote, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

You set your own happiness level, either consciously, or subconsciously by default. Our brain is structured to think in certain ways. Until recently, scientists thought that once you reached adulthood your brain programming was permanently set. But research has shown that it is possible to literally reconfigure your brain’s wiring by changing your thinking.

Habitual thoughts strengthen associated neural pathways. If you think positive thoughts about yourself, those pathways will grow stronger, while the pathways associated with negative self-image will weaken. And vice versa. So, if you generally see things negatively, your brain is essentially hard-wired to make those types of thoughts ‘stick’.

If you want to change your thinking, how do you raise your happiness level? It’s not enough just to want to be happy. You need to take habitual action. This may seem like hard work – but this is about feeling good. It should be fun, or it won’t succeed. As with many forms of taking action, often it’s the starting that is the hard part. But once you’re in the flow, it feels great.

But in the same way you wouldn’t go the gym once, and expect to have a chiselled physique, it takes regular workouts – or habitual thinking.

Over time, the positive self-image will replace the negative one. This is true for positive and negative thoughts. You are changing how you “see” yourself or the world in general. Using your senses and emotions, you can “feel” your desired experience. The more this is repeated, and the stronger you link your emotions to it, the greater impact it will have.

Sing to your favourite tunes, go jogging, have a lie-in, watch a movie or read a book. Again, how you improve your mood is your own choice.

Why not give it a try? All you have to lose is your negativity.

Positive Thinking

/ Steve Lakey / 2 Comments

Bright Idea

Photo: Bright Idea by zaldy icaonapo

Positive Thinking is mentally focusing on the best possible outcome from any situation. In whatever form it may appear, all our positive thinking comes down to one thing. Wanting to find happiness.

Creative Visualisation is the technique of mentally picturing an outcome. Using this technique, athletes run the race in their mind, before they leave the starting blocks. Studies by Russian scientists indicated that those who spent 25% of their time training physically and 75% of their time engaged in mental training had more success than those who spent 100% of their time in purely physical training. Visualisation is now considered an essential part of top-level preparation in the world of sport and beyond.

What successful outcomes can be created? Success is subjective, so you get to choose. You decide what success means for you. You are the one creating your own reality with your thoughts and actions. It may be making your first million or taking your last cigarette – whatever matters the most to you. It certainly helps if the desired outcome is closer to your current level of thinking – as there will be less resistance to overcome – but that shouldn’t rule out thinking big… The stronger the emotions linked to the outcome, the more powerful the results.

How does this work? Over time, thoughts become beliefs, and beliefs become actions. Basically, our beliefs are thoughts that we have repeated until they become our truths. Psychologists have found that we tend to act in ways that support our attitudes. If someone assumes they are “stupid”, then they subconsciously behave in a way that confirms that belief.

Our mind also filters our experiences to fit our internal self-image. If you have a positive mind-set, then you tend to accept positive situations and not dismiss them as “flukes”. You will also see negative experiences as temporary obstacles, rather than as evidence of a flawed character.

You don’t have to ignore challenges to overcome them. In fact it can be harmful and counter-productive to do so. But you can re-frame them. The inventor Thomas Edison said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” He chose to see what others would call a set-back, as part of the pathway to his success.

So, should you be wearing a smiley face and chanting “Om”? If all you’re doing is suppressing natural emotions; this is not a healthy place to be. It may be appropriate and necessary to work through negative feelings. But positive thinking gives you an alternative. Think of it as having a new toolkit in the garage.

So, is the glass half full or half empty? You get to choose!