Blue Sky’s Ahead!
Find the silver lining, it’s always there, sometimes you just have to change your view. Just like looking through a kaleidoscope, it’s constantly changing and although every turn is a new design and different colors, the beauty is in how you view it.
Not everything is as bleak as it seems, it’s all a matter of perception. I’ve had my moments of not being able to see out of the dark hole I’ve dug myself into because I thought that I had no way out but that was just the illusion I created because I allowed negativity in. When I take a step back and insist to myself that, “I am going to find the silver lining”, it starts to appear. A good tool I’ve used is the pros and cons list, once you place in your mind that you are committed to looking for a positive outcome you will find it and chances are you will find more than one good idea on your pros list. Even though you may have more cons than pros at first, at least you’ve discovered that the options equal a way out.
I know that at times it can be easier said than done, negativity is definitely a tough rut when you are in it but it is essential to your well-being that you find a way to pull yourself out, in my mind negativity is the equivalent to catching a cold or the flu. Sometimes the negativity cold is mild and goes away in a few days, sometimes the negativity flu lasts a couple of weeks and then you are able to shake it, but sometimes it becomes more substantial and attaches itself like a cyst to your insides. This is when you have to fight it with everything you’ve got to kick it out of your system, the reason you feel so terrible when negativity has got a hold on you is because it is a sickness and you can’t allow it to stay in your system.
Like I said my first line of defense is the pros and cons list, once I’ve done that I start to progress each of the pros options and gravitate in that direction. The negativity cannot survive in my positive mindset, it will continue to try to invade my positive mind but as long as I remain strong and keep exploring the pros options it will have no chance except to leave. It may come back every once in a while but since I’ve developed a process that works for me, it won’t be able to sustain itself.
In progression from the pros and cons list is my use of a vision board to provide me with the daily visualization of my road of positivity. The vision board coupled with the written options helps my mind to easily see the future unfold as I desire. I don’t necessarily need to carry around an actual vision board, placing it somewhere that I can see it on a daily basis is enough, although you could also use a notepad and have the visualizations in there and carry that around with you, it may provide you with a stronger sense of positive direction. At first when I started trying this I did the list and the vision board and I knew that I had the right intentions but I realized that my actions didn’t match them. I couldn’t just sit around waiting for my life to pick up, I actually needed to make a plan and follow the steps that take me in that direction toward my desired outcome. It was like I was waiting for Ed McMahon to just come to my door and tell me I’ve won the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes when I didn’t even enter. It doesn’t work that way!
Simply stated: If you’re going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk!
Negativity gets in much like that of a cold, when your immune system is low due to little sleep and/or being run down you can easily catch a cold. The same goes for negativity, it gets in when you’ve had a bad day or bad encounter with someone, either scenario provides the opening that negativity needs to flourish, the question is are you going to fan the flames or smother it.
The biggest and most important factor within all of this is the conscious choice to choose happy, choose the positive and stay strong in that choice. Don’t allow anyone to have any power over your positivity, happiness or your direction in life.
Shelley Hallmark 