How To Help Your Brain Seek and Find a More Positive Outlook
We all know that today’s world can be a bit cold. That’s not to say that it’s actively negative in any way, people just live fast paced lives and therefore do not always pay the attention they want to, to themselves or to their friends.
Without wanting to sound judgmental I believe that we all deserve more positivity in our daily lives, seeing that this is one of the easiest ways to keep ourselves happy and healthy.
Self-encouragement is an immense part of one’s character building and progressing in a competitive world.
It helps both with realising your goals and staying on the right track to achieve them. It’s also connected with creativity, learning and much deserved rest.
Here we aim to give you some ideas on how to use that to your advantage.
Questions and Why They Are Important
When you think about it, asking questions is extremely important – even as kids this is one of the first things we learn.
And later in life we often judge how much one has understood from a certain subject based on what questions they ask.
Figuring out what you want to ask means you know what you need help with and therefore you can receive more specific advice.
Answering questions is just as useful – this helps you with the perspective you actually search for, and you can focus on the details you yourself find interesting.
This is why we give both the question and the reason behind it.
● What good thing happened to me today?
Small things often go unnoticed in a fast-paced environment and that really shouldn’t be the case.
A compliment from a stranger or the way your coffee tastes just right today are really nothing special, but they help you in realising that the world can be a kind place and that there’s always something you can appreciate. Here you should try to focus on such small things you have no control over but are wonderful, nonetheless.
● What good thing was I responsible for today?
This works in favour of the idea “Give what you want to receive”. Being a kind person to others makes you happier too and it’s a wonderful habit that this question helps build.
The kinder people are to others, the kinder the world as a whole is, so you can use this question as a motivation to do one generous or sweet or thoughtful thing for another person each day.
● What and who am I grateful for?
Here you should focus on bigger aspects of your life. The ability to live in a place you enjoy and/or to have close friends is incredible when you think about how big the world is.
On a cosmic scale it’s even more incredible – millions and millions of years and we have the possibility to survive by doing what we love and having incredible connections regardless of distance.
If that’s not something to be grateful for, I don’t know what is. When answering this question, try looking at the world as a whole and why you are lucky to live exactly here and exactly now.
● Why do I want to achieve what I’ve set out to do and where can I find a source of motivation?
Here the main focus is what your reasons for doing something are – why you enjoy the work you do and how it makes you a better person.
Knowing the reasons behind why your goals bring you happiness helps you in being persistent on your way to achieving them.
Also, if you keep asking yourself where you can find motivation or inspiration, the chances of eventually having more than one source are bigger, thus you will never be dependent solely on one thing.
● How can I learn from the mistakes I’ve made?
Turning a negative into a positive is very important when trying to change your perspective. If you feel down, it’s easy to focus on your mistakes, however realizing that you can learn from each one assists in not beating yourself up too much.
Some people even go as far as to try and make some mistakes when learning something new, just to understand it better, and even if you don’t get to this point, it would still help tremendously to not be scared of messing up, because after all, we all do.
● What are some values that I want to work on?
Building your character and striving to be a better person is sure to make you progress in life and for that you need to know what you want to work on.
Values aren’t already set in stone, they resemble something like an ever-changing sculpture – they need constant work, but the progress you’ve made stays.
This question helps you in finding out which direction you want to take yourself in.
By answering it you acknowledge both the work you’ve already done and where you want to put in more effort.
● Am I holding on to something I don’t want to and why?
This is a very specific question because a lot of people tend to carry a lot more regret and fear than they should.
Feeling guilty for past events or being close to toxic people all fall into this category and it’s important to acknowledge it, so you can grow past it.
This is just the first step in a very long journey, but it’s a very important one and one everyone should start, because things like these hold you back and stop your progress, and they really shouldn’t have that power.
● What is something I look forward to?
Here you can look at everything you want, big or small. It can be something like an upcoming event (going to your favorite coffee shop or a concert you’ve been looking forward to) or it can be a rite of passage in your life (moving to a different country or expanding your hobby). The more stuff you have to look forward to, the better your outlook on the future is.
As an added bonus, you can train your organisational skills by making sure everything you look forward to that depends on you will happen thus making the whole experience feel even better.
● What do I cherish in the people I love and what can I learn from them?
Here your focus should be both towards the outside world and the one within. Answering why you love someone is really important in building a good relationship with them and it clarifies a lot of questions you can have in your head about you and them.
Also, the people you love can be a tremendous inspiration, so learning from them is never a bad thing.
Here you can focus on both aspects, realising why the people around you are amazing and how they can inspire you to be better.
● What qualities do I have that I love and am proud of?
This question is very important – recognising your inner value, helps tremendously in keeping a positive view of yourself. It’s much harder for a good thing to grow out of a bad environment and asking yourself what it is that you love about yourself is making sure you give yourself a good environment.
You can start big or small, you can answer about a different quality every day in detail or all of them at the same time but make sure you ask yourself this question a lot especially if you don’t have a high opinion of yourself so you can start building it up.
Progress can only happen if it’s been allowed to and loving yourself is essential in allowing yourself to be better.
As we have already established, questions are essential in understanding everything better.
By answering these ones on a weekly or daily basis you are sure to get to know yourself more and realise what makes you truly happy.
Changing a bad mood isn’t always easy but the world around you as well as the one inside is a great source of inspiration.
Having a clear perspective, progressing and being grateful are essential in one’s growth as well as their inner peace.
With these questions we aim to remind you that you as well as everything around you is incredible and that although change can be scary, everyone is strong enough to overcome that fear in order to be happier and make the world a better place.