Check Yo' Head

You know that thing about the power of positive thinking? I tend to find it a little reductive and airy-fairy; I'm someone who needs a little cynicism and darkness for the same reason cake and cookie recipes need salt, so people who are just nonstop wall-to-wall relentlessly happy get right under my skin and make me wonder what they're hiding. But at the same time ... I have to admit that they kind of have a point.

Not so much with the "everything's going to be just wonderful!" garbage. Because it isn't. Life is kind of a jerk sometimes and there's just no getting around that. But in the small day-to-day moments a little thought readjustment can go a long way. 

Think about how you talk to or about yourself. Do you often find yourself saying things like "oh, I'd never be able to do that" or "I'm really bad at this" before you even try something? And if you do, do you ever give yourself a chance to prove yourself wrong?

Today's exercise: choose a goal that you've had for a while that you just haven't been able to reach, and then think about how you've talked about it to yourself or others. Be honest. Are you trying to lose weight but also saying that you don't have the willpower? Are you trying to learn a foreign language while talking about how you're probably too old to really do it? Are you vying for a coveted position and telling everyone that your fellow candidates are way better than you? What purpose does that possibly serve? Self-deprecation has its place, but save it for after the goal is attained for pete's sake! My rule of thumb is that self-deprecation after the fact can be charming but self-deprecation before anything even happens is nothing but you roadblocking yourself. Also? Stop worrying if people think you're arrogant. Simply stating that you think you can do something is miles away from arrogance and any grown adult who doesn't recognize that is riddled with issues that you don't need to be dealing with anyway. 

Inject some hope and light into your everyday language! Instead of "I can't" say "I'm going to try." Instead of "I don't" go for "I haven't yet." Instead of "it probably won't happen" try describing yourself as "cautiously optimistic." I think you'll be amazed at what you can do.

Feel-Good Friday tomorrow! It's going to be excellent. See you then.

- Sarah