Back to Basics: How to Develop a Positive Attitude

2021-07-182021-07-18 ~ adminlife

You know thinking positive is good for you, but it may be difficult to put that belief into action. Can you develop a sunny outlook when your bank account is almost empty or your boss is yelling at you?

The truth is you can control your attitude regardless of what is going on around you. Follow these practical steps for understanding yourself more clearly and making each day a more joyful and rewarding experience.

Understanding Your Attitude

Assess your personality. Your personality is your unique combination of qualities and traits, and your attitude is the way you decide to look at the world. While you can make fundamental changes, appreciating your basic nature helps you to focus your efforts and pick strategies that leverage your strengths.
Question your assumptions. Learn to distinguish between beliefs and facts so you can let go of your limitations. For example, you may be single, but unless you live on a deserted island there are other adults you could date, so it’s unrealistic to think that finding love is impossible.
Watch your language. Words are powerful. Choose statements that give you hope. Avoid exaggerations that turn minor irritations into major disasters.
Examine your relationships. Attitudes can be contagious. It’s easier to stay on track when your interactions with others affirm your value and increase your confidence. Share meaningful discussion and activities. Resolve conflicts promptly and limit complaining.
Manage stress. Pressure is part of life, but you can find constructive ways to let off steam and hold onto your inner peace. Set aside time to meditate or pray each day. Take a long walk or soak in a warm bath.
Stay fit. Honour the connection between your body and mind. It’s easier to feel enthusiastic when you’re eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and sleeping well.

Changing Your Attitude

Set specific goals. Identify one area at a time to work on. Lasting change takes time so you may want to aim for maintaining your new way of thinking for an hour or a day at a time to increase your chances of success.
Reframe challenges. Be prepared for obstacles. Let adversity teach you to take refuge in a constructive mindset instead of surrendering to external conditions. Look at the big picture and muster up your courage.
Seek support. You can accomplish more by teaming up with others. Let your family and friends know that you’re trying to create new patterns. You’ll be more likely to stick to your commitments. Ask for help when you need it.
Boost your motivation. Remember your purpose. The way you think defines your experiences. You can choose to be happier and more productive.
Move forward. Design a plan of action that will help you think differently and transform your old patterns. Take the first step. When you’re tempted to nag your spouse about an errand they forgot, switch your attention to the things you love about them. It will put the missing dry cleaning in perspective.
Reinforce your determination. Changing your attitude requires persistence. Just when you think you’ve become more patient or assertive, something triggers the old familiar response. Use setbacks as a teaching tool. Give yourself a reward for making an effort and celebrate each sign of progress.

Look on the bright side and take concrete action to create the outcomes you dream about. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with an inspiring message. A positive attitude will make you happier and help you achieve more.

A positive attitude can move you forward in your life and career at an astonishing speed. You can develop a positive attitude by reviewing your beliefs and setting goals that can be attained.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking on the blue button below

and we can talk about how you can make the changes necessary in your life to develop and carry forward a positive attitude.

To your success

Michael

P.S. if you have always thought that you should have a Life Coach on your personal team to help you create the best year of your life but were put off by the cost and the time requirement, I have created a Self-paced course that covers what we would do when working together.

While not the same as working one-on-one with a Life Coach, this self-paced course can help you to understand your present situation, how you got there and how to set goals that will move you forwards to success.

Click on the logo below to find out more about the course

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Live Your Best Life in 6 Steps

2021-07-04 ~ adminlife

Everyone is different. It’s not reasonable to expect that everyone wants to live the same life. But, to step outside the options that society deems to be acceptable can be a little scary. Our need to impress and be accepted can be very strong.

Perhaps you’ve never really considered what your dream life would be. It’s hard to hit a target that you’ve never identified.

Follow these steps to imagine the best life you could possibly have and then live it:

Be true to yourself. You can’t live your best life if you’re pretending to be someone or something that you’re not. The first step in living your best life is to admit to yourself who you really are. Be honest about your likes, dislikes, and dreams.
- Maybe you would like to live in a cabin in the woods and grow all of your food.
- Or do you love the idea of minimalism and frugality?
- Do you prefer animals to people?
- Would you like to live in a commune?
- Do you love to play the accordion?
- Would you like to travel the world like a nomad without a home base?
- Do you want to spend all of your time and resources saving the planet?
- Does the idea of having children horrify you? Or would you like to try for 13 kids?
- Choose what appeals to Any admiration or scorn you receive from others won’t last long enough for your cup of coffee to get cold.
Make a plan. Relying on chance or luck is a losing game in the long run. If you want a specific life, it’s important to choose it and then make a plan to get there. Make a long-term plan that begins with something you can do today.
Execute your plan. Many people love to dream and plan. That’s the easy and fun part. Unfortunately, few people ever take the first step in their plan. They never get started.
- Take some sort of action each day outlined by your plan. You don’t have to do an amazing amount of work each day to make significant progress over time. A little each day eventually grows into substantial results.
- The hardest part is getting started, so ensure that you get started as soon as possible. There will never be a perfect time to begin. Begin now and make the best of it. Everything changes once you actually begin.
Learn from your mistakes. Neither you nor your plan is flawless. You will make mistakes and try things that don’t work. That should be expected. Decide that you’re going to learn from your mistakes, adjust your approach, and try again.
Keep your attention on those things that are relevant regarding your plans. Reject nearly everything else.
- Why are you gossiping about your coworkers or neighbours?
- Still upset about how your ex cheated on you 13 years ago?
- Annoyed by the price of gasoline?
- What do any of these sorts of things have to do with achieving your goals and attaining your dream life? (Nothing.)
You can’t live your best life if you give up on your quest to attain it. Keep going until you’ve arrived where you want to be.

Your best life is out there ready for you to claim it! Be completely honest with yourself, make a plan, and stick with it until you’ve arrived. The life you desire is attainable and within your reach. Do you have the courage to make it happen?

Take a chance on feeling happy and fulfilled. Chase after your dream life.

You need to move to make your dreams and your life better. Just having dreams isn’t enough.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking on the blue button below

and we can talk about how you can move your dreams to reality and live the life you desire.

To your success

Michael

Click on the logo below to find out more about the course

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Feeling Overwhelmed? Take Back Control with this 6-Step Process

2021-05-26 ~ adminlife

Oh, how trying the stresses of life can be! Having situations that affect your peace of mind can be challenging. And sometimes you feel like you’ve gotten way more than you can handle. Yet still, you find a way to keep going.

It’s great when you can find the determination to keep going. But are you doing so to your own detriment? Perhaps the way you’re responding isn’t always the best.

Coping mechanisms help to keep you in the game. But after a while, you may end up crashing. The most beneficial approach involves using well thought-out strategies to keep you in control.

Try this process to respond to an especially challenging situation:

Stop in your tracks. If you feel overwhelmed now, it’s likely to get even worse if you keep going the way you are now! Stop right where you are and accept the situation for what it is.

- Look back at what has happened up until this point in time. Can you identify the reasons behind your downfall? Make a note of them.

Embrace your shortcomings. Do you have shortcomings that prevented you from staying on top of things? Be honest with yourself when trying to identify them. It’s the only way you’ll be able to move on to resolving the situation.

- Whatever you’ve identified as your shortcomings, accept and embrace them. It’s pointless allowing them to bring your mood down. You’re already overwhelmed. The last thing you need to do is put yourself down.

Avoid excuses. Even though you feel overwhelmed, the last thing you want to do is blame it on something or somebody else. Avoid overlooking yourself as the main factor behind your current situation.

- It’s easy in stressful situations to refuse accountability. Just the tension alone is enough to drive your mind in crazy directions. Just accept it for what it is, even if it means coming face to face with your shortcomings.

Open up to others. Share your feelings with someone you can confide in. Simply sharing can often help to ease some of the stress off your shoulders.

- Tell the whole story. Allow the person to understand your highs and lows. Let them see how your strengths got you this far. But also share what you think you could have done differently.

Organize an approach. Now that you’ve offloaded, you’ll have a clearer mind to organize an approach. You’ve stopped at this point for a reason. Now’s your chance to change direction and pull yourself out of this rut.

- Now that you’ve figured out what went wrong, try to tackle those things first. You’ll want to prevent those things from happening again.

Surround yourself with positive people. It’s sometimes difficult to take on challenges on your own. As much as you hate to admit it, there are others better at some things than you are! Embrace them and get the support you need to manage stressful situations.

- Use the strengths of trustworthy people to get you over the hump. Be clear about the role you want them to play. Handing over responsibility can be tough. But be mature enough to understand that it doesn’t take away from your own abilities.

Being in over your head isn’t a death sentence. In fact, it’s a perfect opportunity to be creative in your approach. Once you identify an effective approach, you can expect to handle situations more confidently.

Give yourself the chance to be in control. With positive strategies, you’ll be able to take matters into your own hands and turn them around in no time!

Feeling overwhelmed is not our normal state so you need to have strategies in place to help you overcome this feeling when it occurs.

When you put these strategies in place in your life you will begin to get control over yourself when you feel overwhelmed.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking on the blue button below

and we can start the discussion on how we can work together to defeat your sense of overwhelm and move your life forward.

To your success

Michael

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12 Signs That You’re Doing Better Than You Think

2021-04-11 ~ adminlife

It’s not unusual for a person to think they’re doing worse than they actually are. Some of us are just pessimistic. Progress can also be hard to see sometimes unless you’re looking in the right places for it.

If you feel like you’re working hard with little to show for it, you’re probably mistaken. It’s likely that you’re doing a lot better than you think!

Consider these positive signs:

You learn the lesson that each mistake and failure provide. If you can learn something from every failure and mistake, it won’t take long before you’re incredibly successful.
- Most people repeat their errors over and over, whether it’s overspending or choosing a partner. People have a strong tendency to repeat their behaviours. But you can choose to act differently than you did the last time you were in a similar situation!
You’re clear on what you want. This can be half the battle. You have a huge advantage over the competition if you know what you want. Most people are aimlessly floating through life.
You spend your time wisely. Spend your time well and good things happen. Spend your time poorly and your life will be a train wreck.
- When deciding what you’re going to do next, ask yourself what the best use of your time would be. Then, do it.
You’re making regular progress. Consistent progress is a great sign. Even if you feel like you’re lightyears from your goal, all you need is regular progress. Many people have been dieting for years and haven’t lost a single pound. Even a pound of weight loss each month is meaningful over a period of time.
You’re consistent in your efforts. Successful people put in some work on a daily basis. Success isn’t about working really hard for a day here and there.
- Being consistent in your efforts also means that you’re sticking to your goals. Working for a week on one goal and then changing your mind and working on something else is a path to nowhere.
You’re not alone. There are people that are alone in the world. If you’re not alone, you’re doing better than many others.
You’re optimistic. When you’re optimistic, there’s hope. When you’re optimistic, you’ll take action.
- Conversely, when your expectations are low, you quickly become stuck, because you believe your efforts will be a waste of time.
You’re determined. Commitment is a great sign that you’re going places. Good things happen when you’re determined.
You’re not worried about the opinions of others. If you care too much about what others think, you’ll prefer to play it safe, and you won’t do anything significant. You can leave them and their opinions in the dust behind you!
You have a dry, warm place to sleep. If you’ve ever had to go without this, you know how nice this is. If you don’t have to deal with this situation, then you’re doing better than you think.
You have a job. A steady income is a great thing. Many people either can’t find work or are unable to maintain employment. Even if you’re earning less than you’d like, it’s a lot better than earning nothing at all.
You’re healthy. If you’re basically healthy, you have a huge leg up on a lot of people. Good health is a huge blessing.

Our society is easy in many ways and quite challenging in others. A high priority is placed on success, but there are other things that are also important. Friends, a warm bed, and a job are pretty relevant, too.

If you’re clear on what you’re trying to accomplish, and you’re spending your time wisely, you’re doing quite well. This is true even if the results haven’t revealed themselves yet. Have faith!

Most people are actually doing quite well in their lives but we are surrounded by so many negative things. people and news that we don’t see the positives in the world and in ourselves.

If you can start to put some of the advice in this article into practice, you will be surprised at how well you really are doing in your life.

If you want to take your life to an even higher level, book a “Get to know you” call with me at:

https://calendly.com/michael-coach/15-minute-get-to-know-you

We will talk about where you are now, where you want to be and how you can get there.

To your success

Michael

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Learning To Cope With Things Out of Our Control

2021-04-05 ~ adminlife

At some point in your life, you’ve no doubt had to deal with a situation that was out of your control. Whether it’s a car accident, financial difficulties, or other challenge, these events cause stress and frustration, which negatively impact your health and mental outlook on life.

Learning how to cope with events you can’t control will help keep you in a positive frame of mind and alleviate your stress.

Consider the Serenity Prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr:

“God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.”

The words of this prayer exemplify the solution to a problem that plagues all of us. Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you can control only your own actions (and reactions), you can begin to find peace of mind.

What Can You Control?

Worrying about the people or events in your life that you can’t control can cause all kinds of stress-related health problems, such as angina, high blood pressure, and sleeping difficulties.

If you need to feel more in control of your life, focus on those things that you can physically change.

Who you decide to accept as your friends and spend your time with is something you can definitely control. It may not be easy to meet new friends, but the opportunities are plentiful if you look for them.

Being around negative people can drag your attitude down, since you adopt the mood of people around you.
If you have people in your life who aren’t encouraging you to fulfill your potential, find other people to surround yourself with.
Having the support of people who believe in you will propel you toward reaching your lifelong goals.

Live One Day at a Time

When you intentionally consider each day a gift, your struggles don’t seem as dire. While life does deal some bad hands, such as death, divorce, and financial challenges, how you cope during these hardships can make you stronger or break you.

When you purposely feel gratitude for the good moments within each day, you can genuinely start to accept your struggles as a path to a new beginning.

Coping with Financial Difficulties

One of the most stressful situations is coping with financial difficulties. Loss of a job often means having to give up things you’ve worked hard to acquire.

If you’re having a difficult time accepting that you have to cut expenses and give up the comfortable things in life, even temporarily, it helps to remember that it could be worse.
Be grateful for having your home and your health because there are many people in the world who have neither.
Once you know you can be happy with less, you can focus again on achieving your goals.

By accepting that you can’t change some things, you’ll become more powerful in changing the things that you do have control over. You’ll free yourself from the negative thoughts and emotions that can stifle you into sad complacence.

Use these tips to help you cope with things out of your control, and you’ll find peace, joy, and the passion to persevere through all challenges.

Being able to accept that you cannot control everything and that those things out of your control just have to be accepted or ignored moves you one step closer to being in control and empowered.

Book a 45-minute call on my calendar at:

https://calendly.com/michael-coach/focused-program-45-minute

to learn more about building up your empowerment level and to live a better life.

To your success

Michael

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