Positive Affirmation Challenge

So- how did everyone do with last week's Positivity Challenge? Did it help clear your mind of negativity and replace it with a more peaceful & happier mindset? Did you spend less time leaking toxic comments and more time being thankful for the good things around you? I know I did and I hope the same for you. :o)

This week I want to build on last week's challenge. If simply refraining from saying negative things improves your life- what about taking it a step further? Turn your negative thoughts into positive affirmations.

Every time you find yourself thinking a negative thought about someone- I want you to stop yourself and reverse your thoughts. Find something positive about them instead- and then share it. Pay them a compliment. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Thank them for what they do for you. Go out of your way to put some positivity back in their day and out into the world.

And if at first you're uncomfortable with verbally expressing nice things towards others- then simply smile at them. That simple action alone is worth a million words. :o)

When you find yourself seething about how your co-worker left you a mound of work- stop and remember how he stayed over an hour off-clock to help you get caught up last week and leave him a note thanking him for it. After you get home from a long day at work and notice your husband left a pile of dirty dishes in the sink- instead of yelling about the mess he made, tell him how great dinner was and how much you appreciate not having to cook tonight. The next time you find yourself thinking how rude the one lady at the PTO meeting is- compliment her on how pretty her necklace is instead.

There is ALWAYS something positive you can say or do in any situation. You just have to retrain your brain to look for the good instead of the bad. If you practice it daily, soon you won't even have to try- it will become habit. You'll automatically notice that the grumpy cashier is simply overwhelmed by the sudden rush and is trying her best- and that when you get to the counter and smile at her and tell her she's doing a great job her whole demeanor changes and she suddenly is able to handle her job better. And it's all because you took a moment's time to make your interaction a positive experience instead of a negative one. :o)

Positivity Challenge

I'm starting this week off with a challenge for all of you- a Positivity Challenge if you will. HelpOthers has once again inspired me with one of their FB posts. When I was doing my morning wake-up peruse of FB I can across this post of theirs:

 Restrain from criticizing or saying anything negative to anyone this week.

I'm sure almost every one's initial response to that is a negative thought- that there's no way they could do that. Many people would claim that such a thing is impossible. And I believe that is due to the world we live in now- a place where freedom of speech is commonly mistaken for a license to say whatever bad comment you want to someone without restraint. But just because you can do or say something, doesn't mean you should. If more people simply stopped to filter what was coming out of their mouths we would see an immediate change in our world. If more people started focusing on the positive of those around them and less on the negative- our would would improve greatly.

So this is what I'm asking & challenging anyone who reads this to do:

 For one week keep all negative thoughts to yourself. Bite your tongue when you feel foul words or statements trying to creep out of your mouth. Don't criticize- empathize. If you find yourself thinking something negative about someone- shift your thoughts to something positive instead.

If going a whole week seems like a lofty goal for you- then make it a daily goal. See if you can go just one day and I'm sure you'll surprise yourself.  :o)

Oh- and this challenge does include spouses, significant others, children, in-laws & extended family as well. ;o)   So- if you find yourself stressing over the fact that you now have 5 pounds of stuffing because Aunt Idna changed her mind about she was bringing to Thanksgiving dinner without consulting you. Or you overheard your MIL remarking to your husband how much better her pumpkin pie tastes than yours. Or when your little angels and their cousins turn into Tasmanian Devils and demolish the play room in 2 seconds flat- don't blow your top and spew all that negativity out at them. Instead push it back and notice how every one's having second & third helpings of Aunt Idna's stuff and not complaining for once that there's not enough to go around. Hear that your husband didn't agree with his mother, but tactfully changed the subject and then remember how at dessert you had to slap his hand when he tried to make off with a whole pie you made. As you're calling in the bulldozer to clean up all the toys- think about how well all the kids played together and for once none of them were glued to an electronic device or screen and that great picture you took of all the cousins building the tallest lego tower ever created.  :o)