Get Positive

I am driving to work peacefully when a driver cuts across my car and overtakes me rashly. My mood goes crazy. I rant. I get angry and irritable. I get to my workplace in the same angry mood. Much as I try, I am unable to shrug the bad emotion. Can I perform at my optimum?

Certainly not.

The Covid-19 crisis and the market downturn are like the proverbial rash driver cutting through our life.

My mood was negative and upset for a day. I wanted to get back to my normal, empowered and positive state of mind.

3 things any of us can do to move from feeling neutral to feeling positive and happy.

1. Look out for your signature strengths and use it to help someone. I love reading books, getting inspired and sharing my ideas with others. That’s a strength I know I have. Finding that one idea that inspires me gives me a positive boost that stays with me the whole day. You can do the same. What is it that you are good at and enjoy doing ? Think of how you can use it to make a difference for someone.
2. Arrange for something exciting to look forward to. This morning , I and my family planned a movie night together. Just the anticipation of getting together as a family to watch an exciting movie created a sense of excitement and positivity. Plan some experience that you can look forward to every day. Trust me, It works.
3. Perform deliberate and mindful acts of kindness and giving. It is a superpower to give when you are feeling low. There is no bigger boost you can get. Give your patient ear to listen to someone’s problems. Encourage someone. Tip someone when they are not expecting(it can be your housemaid for something good she/he has done).

You don’t change your mood or mindset through thinking. You change it through action and the action does not have to be big.

Visualize a golf swing. A 1-degree shift in the angle at the point of impact of the golf club  can have a big impact on where the ball lands 150 yards out. It’s the same with a mindset change. We don’t need to do big positive stuff. It’s the small adjustments. small actions we take mindfully that go on to make the big shift. Regain your personal power. Get positive.