Ever feel like you’re stuck in a loop of negative thoughts?
Or if you think about it, your social feed is mostly negative?
Or Maybe it’s about a missed chance, a failure, or just daily drama that drags you down.
Or even worse, you don’t even realize it’s affecting you…
I only say it because I have been there and below I share one thing I did to get out of it.
It’s so easy to get caught up in what went wrong or what didn’t happen.
It’s also a crutch we use as a reason to NOT continue forward or take action.
Negativity KEEPS US STUCK.
And we're all here because we are looking for a change, an adjustment, growth.
So getting UNSTUCK is pretty darn important!
Focusing on the negative can actually blind us to the good stuff right in front of us – the stuff that can help us move forward.
Think of your mind like a camera lens.
Wherever you point it, that’s where your focus is.
If you’re always zooming in on the negatives, that’s all you’re going to see.
But what if you changed the angle?
What if you decided to focus on the positive things happening around you?
This is something I personally have worked on for years.
It’s so easy to slip back into negative thoughts, and suddenly all I would hear is negative, all I would say is negative, and it felt like nothing good was happening.
It took forcing myself to SEE the good.
See what I’m responsible for.
And adjust.
Now I’m not asking you to turn into some crazy Suzy Sunshine with a psycho smile plastered on your face all day.
Dwelling on failures and disappointments is natural.
Our brains are wired to protect us from harm, so we tend to hyper-focus on what went wrong to avoid it happening again.
But this can backfire, trapping us in a cycle of negativity that’s hard to break.
Think about a time when you were so caught up in a problem that you couldn’t see any solutions. Or even when you child is stuck on homework because they are so stressed, they can’t process what they need to do next.
It’s the same thing.
Your energy was consumed by worry and frustration, making it nearly impossible to notice any opportunities or blessings right in front of you.
This is the trap of negative focus – it blinds us to the good and keeps us stuck.
If your funnel isn’t working right – don’t sit on it and complain, quit, and scroll to find others to complain with.
Instead – USE the support that is available to you.
Take a break and come back to it with a new set of lenses on in order to address what’s going on.
Ask for help.
Problem solve.
Imagine what happens if you flip the script.
Instead of focusing on what went wrong, you consciously choose to seek out the positives.
One of the greatest benefits of focusing on the positive is that it opens up your mind to possibilities.
As a budding entrepreneur, your attention to what your focus is on IS KEY.
But how do you start to shift it?
Here are a few ways and I’ll also share what I personally had to do to help shift my focus…
- Gratitude Journaling: Start each day by writing down three things you’re grateful for. This simple practice can train your mind to look for positives.
- Mindful Reflection: At the end of the day, reflect on what went well. Acknowledge any challenges, but make sure to highlight the positive aspects and achievements.
- Positive Affirmations: Use positive affirmations daily. Statements like “I am capable of overcoming challenges” can help rewire your brain to focus on your strengths and potential.
- Surround Yourself with Positivity: Spend time with people who uplift and inspire you. Their positive energy can help shift your focus.
- Practice Kindness: Acts of kindness can boost your mood and help you see the good in the world. It’s a powerful way to shift your focus from negative to positive.
For me, this one change made a huge difference…
I logged into my social feeds and I hit the unfollow, not interested, don’t show me this OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
I purposely shifted my entire social feed.
I started following accounts that fed me inspiration and smiles.
I even unfollowed a couple family members who had something new to complain about daily.
From the weather to the checkout lady at the grocery store.
These two were always somehow WRONGED, treated poorly, had new tea to spill, new drama to put out in the world, and had crappy days over and over.
If one was sharing something negative, the other would be right in the comments agreeing and affirming the negativity.
Those two were stuck together, and plain stuck in life.
I did not want to join them.
At first it comes across as possibly helpful PSA, but after a while it’s like dang…
No one has that much crap happen to them and it became clear it was due to their chosen focus.
Those two family members were affecting the bubble of positivity I needed to create around me.
And the poor girl at the grocery store that was the regular topic of their posts…
It started to feel like straight bullying on their part because they always had a new story to share about her.
One day I wanted to comment – Obsessed much? MOVE ON!
But that would also meant I was jumping right back into the pool of negativity with them. It would FEED THEM and then I would become their next topic of negative attacks.
If anything, it sounded like that girl needed some grace and protection from these two ladies instead.
So I hit the unfollow.
I didn’t need that energy feeding into my daily thoughts.
What else is pretty darn cool…
Positivity is contagious.
Your positive outlook can inspire and uplift others, creating a ripple effect that spreads beyond your immediate circle.
And that will come out in your content.
You’ll start to see more engagement, more followers, and more that want to be surrounded by your positivity.
Life is a mix of highs and lows, successes and failures.
The key to moving forward lies in where you choose to place your focus.
So as we head into a new week, I invite you to embrace the positive, celebrate the good, and notice the shift that begins to happen.
As always…
Stay Legendary,
JoAnn
