"Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days you know that there are better ones coming."
It can be difficult to remain positive when we face challenges and life seems to be one problem after another. Maybe you are trying to get a new business started or you have difficulties in a relationship. Maybe you just feel like life is passing you by… Try to remember this quote when you are feeling down and you will feel hopeful.
Idea for today: Think about your strengths and believe that you can succeed.
We often find it difficult to talk about what we are good at. We feel embarrassed and worry that other people will think we are being ‘big headed’ if we talk about our strengths. However, we need to be clear about what our strengths are and we should celebrate these. It is important to be self -aware to strengthen our self-esteem rather than focus on our weaknesses. This is not ignoring those areas we know we are not great at, but it is about empowering ourselves to use our strengths to overcome these.
My main strength is being creative. I love to think around problems to find solutions. I find it exciting to be imaginative and come up with ways forward that have not been considered
before. I understand that I sometimes need pulling back to reality because I may get carried away with my ideas, but that is OK. I have friends and colleagues who help me with that!
When I am struggling to see the positive in a situation or I feel that I cannot find a solution I try to remind myself that if I keep thinking and investigate every avenue, I will come to a resolution.
"I collect inspirational quotes like some women collect shoes."
One example I keep in my mind’s eye is the experiences I have had in my life regarding house buying. I have not moved house many times in my life but there have been two occasions when I had my heart set on a particular house and then the sale has fallen through. On both occasions I thought around several solutions to enable myself to buy that house. I considered taking on an extra job, renting out my current home rather than selling, offering my current home to the seller of the house I wanted as part of the exchange…I thought of so many ideas, but in both situations I was not successful. With both houses, I cried for 3 days solid, but puffy eyes and snotty nose helped no one. A couple of months later, on both occasions I found a different house to buy and when I was successful could look back and be grateful that I had not bought the original homes.
These experiences have made me stronger and more philosophical and I share with others in similar difficult situations. You don’t have to be happy all the time, just trust that it will get better, and although you may feel negative now, things will get better, and remember…
"Everything happens for a reason."
· Want to Explore this Further?
To learn about the research behind the theory watch the Ted Talk by Tayyab Rashid “What are you good at?”
Take Action
If you want to think more about using your strengths to find fulfilment and success in your life contact me on isabel@norfolklifecoach.co.uk
Or visit my website and simply fill in my contact form https://www.norfolklifecoach.co.uk
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