A positive mindset is not something you’re born with or something you either have or you don’t.
Why is a positive mindset useful?
A positive mindset will allow you to plough through set backs and get to your goals regardless.
You will be a nicer person to be around and deal with – people will gravitate towards you.
You will have more energy, feel less stressed and every day will be less of a fight and more of a “happy skip along”.
Any which way you slice it – a constantly positive mindset is a better way of living than the opposite, negative one.
Reflexes and habits
In fact, both a positive or a negative mindset are learned reflexes, i.e. an automated response to an input (visual, audio, sensory etc).
Most behaviours are habitual and many are reflex. We do something, we do it again, and again and again – it becomes a habit. The simpler the action and the more often it is repeated – more reflex-like it is.
Immediately saying “no” to a suggestion – any suggestion – is a reflex.
Pulling your hand away from touching something very hot – also a reflex.
Going to the local cafe every Sunday morning for a coffee and a newspaper – a habit.
Going for a run once a week, smoking – all habits.
All can be added or removed.
A positive mindset is a reflex and a habit – so is a negative mindset.
Changing habits
Both can be learned and trained to be almost automatic – or in the case of a negative mindset – broken and removed.
Like any habit, a sufficient period of time and repetition needs to pass before a habit is set or removed.
For most habits about 2 weeks or a little more is enough. For some more time is needed.
HOWTO
To train a positive mindset, you have to start with an exercise – every time you encounter a situation, regardless of your natural reaction to it, make an effort to find positive sides and aspects to it.
For example, if you’re stuck on a train that’s running late – think of the extra time you’re getting to rest, or think about whatever you were thinking about, or reading.
If you break something, think how it could have been something else – more expensive or valuable to you. Think about the fact that you can now get a new better version of whatever you broke.
Make a real effort to turn any negative situation into a positive. Think about past situations which were similar and how they turned out for the best even though the initial event looked hopeless.
Try to do this once a day for a week. Keep a note – written or mental.
Then increase to 2-3 times a day, then 5, then start counting and spotting the negative ones – event if hours after they happen and see how you can turn them into a positive.
Stay the distance
Do this for more than 2 weeks and you will notice a shift and from there it’s a slippery slope to a full onset of a reflex-like positive mindset.
Keep checking in and checking your reactions as you will sometimes slip back into negative mindset – we all have bad days, devastating events – the trick is to survive through them and stay on course.
Mind Iterations 