Surround Yourself With the Positive

- graphic from Dave Ramsey -

 

Sooner or later you will find the words in the above graphic to be true.

 

No matter how much you want them to NOT be true or no matter how much you don't want to believe this to be true about the people that surround you...it is still true.

Negativity can disguise itself in all kinds of ways, too! Sometimes the most "negative" people are disguised in friendship and "I only want what's best for you" thoughts. It's around us each and every day and we must do all that we can to surround ourselves with the positive...people and/or thoughts.

Sometimes this is difficult to do when you are surrounded by negative people...like at work. However, if you determine to be the "thermostat" and not the "thermometer" you may find that the negativity begins to disappear.

What do I mean?



 

 

A thermostat DICTATES the temperature in a room. It either raises or lowers the temperature in the room while the termometer REFLECTS the temperature that has been set by the thermostat.

There are "thermometer people" all around us and you may be one as well. These are the people that "reflect" whatever the attitude around them may be. If people around them are happy then they are more likely to be happy (even though truly negative people are negative regardless of their surroundings). If the mood around them is negative, "thermometer people" will likely just follow along and have the same negative attitude.

You, however, could be a "thermostat" person that helps dictate or "set the temperature" for your workplace. You may be surprised at how quickly the "temperature" of the room begins to change due to your positive attitude!

And remember, your positive attitude comes from - or is aided by - the positive information that you put into your heart and mind throughout the day. Things such as this blog and my podcast are examples of information that you can absorb each and every day that will help you in this process.

Hey, even if you haven't reached the goals that you set for yourself this year, remain POSITIVE in your approach and your review of the past year. Your positive attitude will allow you to understand that, again, progress is progress, even if it is slower than you initially planned.

Thermostat or thermometer? You decide.

And, as you do so, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

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Surround Yourself With Better People

At some point in time, if you are SERIOUS about improving your mindset and doing all that you can to eliminate as much negativity from you life as possible...you're going to have to make choices.

 

And, yes, those choices will - and MUST - include those with whom you spend your time.

 

No matter how hard you try or no matter how hard you think you need any particular relationship, you will have to make a choice as to whether or not that person actually helps you in your desire for a more positive mindset or hinders you in that pursuit.

 

Go ahead and try it, friend...it simply will not work if you attempt to stay connected to negative and dramatic people.

 

As the graphic states: "The only way to get better is to surround yourself with better people."

 

"Oh, but I can't!" Again, it's a choice and it's YOUR choice but it is a choice that will have to be made sooner or later.

 

Just some advice here...the longer you wait the more you will realize that you have wasted valuable time and energy hanigng on to something that was not actually worth hanging on to.

 

That kind of hurts, doesn't it? However, you will find this to be true and the stronger will be your regret wishing that you had made the change sooner.

 

Hey listen, we ALL have our "bad" (negative) moments. Don't take this to say that you must remove yourself from anyone that has negative thoughts and/or words EVER in their life.

 

You'll live your life as a loner by doing so.

 

I am talking about those that continually criticize and/or mock you for daring to reach for your goals and dreams and to NEVER give up regardless of what you can "see" at the moment. I'm talking about those people who spend so much of their time watching the news that they must share with you and anyone else that will listen, every negative and horrible thing that is going on in the world. I 'm talking about the people who are always whining and complaining about SOMETHING. I'm talking about those people who always whine and complain about what they DON'T have and/or about what is WRONG in and with their life and yet, aren't willing to do anything about it.

 

Yeah, THOSE people.

 

I bet you have some of those in your life, don't you? I bet you pictured some particular people as you read through that list of descriptions, didn't you?

 

Another word of advice...don't think that you can be "the one" that can help change them. No sir, don't do it....they will drag you down more often than you being able to lift them up.

 

It's hard. It's difficult. But friend...it is necessary and it is a fact: "The only way to get better is to surround yourself with better people."

 

Tomorrow we'll discuss some possible ways to make that happen. Be thinking and brainstorming yourself between now and then. I'd love to hear YOUR ideas on this.

 

Until then, whatever you do, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

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Shake It Off and Move On!

Shake It Off and Move On!

So why is there a donkey staring me in the face? If you don't know already then it's obvious you haven't listened to the podcast for today, so I'll have to explain in a moment.

This past Saturday my youngest son, Jordan, graduated from High School and, during the ceremony, the featured speaker shared a simple - yet powerful - story about an old donkey (aha! Now I know why there's a donkey staring me in the face!).

It seems that this old donkey was walking around the farm when he stumbled into an old, dry well on the property. The old farmer, discovering this old donkey down in this dry well thought about it for a little while and decided that since there was no way he could get the old donkey out of the well and, also, since the old donkey wasn't really good for much of anything, that he'd just fill in the well with the donkey in it.

Now, that sounds harsh, I know - but it's just part of the story, o.k.?

The old farmer then called together his neighbors and asked them to all bring a shovel so that they could fill in this old dry well and be done with it. As the crowd dumped shovel after shovel of dirt down the well the old donkey would simply shake the dirt off of his back and step up on the dirt that was now beneath him. Most did not notice this at first - the action was so small and unnoticeable - but, soon, the crowd begin to notice that the donkey was continually shaking the dirt off of his back and then stepping up and getting closer and closer to the top of the old well.

As you can imagine, eventually, the old donkey finally stepped up one last time and walked on out of the well and off into the distance! A silly and corny story, yes, but it does have a very powerful message attached!

The graduation speaker then challenged this graduating class with the idea that they must be like the old donkey and be prepared to "shake it off and step up" as they encounter struggles in their lives. I added "move on" to the equation because that is what the donkey did once he had gotten out of the well.

"Shake it off, step up and move on!"

What a powerful formula for all of us to remember and put into practice in our lives.

By now, you have likely heard me (or read my writings stating such) say that there are more than enough people that are more than happy to dump their "negative dirt" (let's get blunt here - "negative CRAP!") on us again and again and again.

If we do not have the determination to prevent this from having an impact on our lives then this negative crap will begin to weigh us down and wear us out until we finally crumble under the weight and give in to stay put and never make advancement in our lives.

WILL YOU ALLOW THAT?

Instead, let's determine that we will shake off this negative crap - don't allow it to stay "on your back" or in your mind! Shake it off! It's worthless and useless! The only worth it may have is if you use it as "fuel for your fire" and determination to move on REGARDLESS of what others may say and/or do!

Shake it off and then STEP UP, determined to not stay put. Determined to move FORWARD in your life! Keep doing so and you will soon discover that you have, indeed, moved on in your life!

Powerful, powerful story! Simple, yes. But again, do not allow the fact that is simple cause you to overlook the power found within.

So, today, I encourage you to be determined to do just like the old donkey - "Shake it off, step up and move on!"

You can do it! One step at a time and one day at a time.

And, as you go through each day, always remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

From "You Can't" to "I DID!"

From "You Can't" to "I Did!"

Who do YOU let decide your future?

Going back to what we talked about yesterday and using the "garbage" of negative thoughts to "fuel the fire of our future pursuits" I want to continue to encourage us all to understand and realize that WE are the ones that determine the value of our lives!

My friend, Mike Magdaleno (http://www.MikeMagdaleno.com) shared a quote by Brian Tracy on one of his Facebook status updates yesterday - "Say no to anything that is not a high-value use of your time and your life." I made a comment that the challenge many times was determining the value of these things in our lives. I loved Mike's comment about that - "Make sure YOU (emphasis mine) determine the value and not outside forces, ego, etc."

Many of us, if not ALL of us, have had others try to determine our value and our worth for us. And, as we all know, they don't hesitate to share with us (dump on us?) their opinion about this matter! Remember the story I used yesterday as the basis of my discussion? "You are an exhibition of failure and all the children in school need to know about you..."

How DARE anyone say that about a child! How DARE anyone say that about ANY other person! And now, may I step on YOUR toes? How DARE you allow it and/or believe it!

Now, I understand that, as a child, you may have felt helpless and intimidated. But what I'm talking about is now that you are an adult. How DARE you allow this in YOUR life!

That's how determined we MUST become in taking control over this most important aspect of our life - OUR WORTH AND VALUE!

If that has happened to you in the past, perhaps as a child, do NOT allow those cruel words to continue to control your life or determine your value and worth. ENOUGH! Understand that NO OTHER HUMAN has the right (or the ability) to determine your worth and/or your value!

If you have those around you in your life now, as an adult, you MUST reject this negative influence by not allowing these harmful words to become a belief in your life AND I would suggest that you strongly consider ridding your life of these people if at all possible.

Friends? I would strongly suggest otherwise.

If you have no way around it, then use this to fuel your future!

Even if you DO have a way around it and you have removed it from your life then you likely still feel the effects of those harmful words. Hey, whoever said "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me" didn't have a CLUE what they were talking about! So, even if this is something from the past, you likely still feel the sting. USE that to fuel your drive for success!

Use the words, "You can't!" to drive you to success where you can say (with pride), "I DID!"

I LOVE THAT, don't you?

Tomorrow we are going to continue with this discussion with examples of others that I know that have had people tell them, "YOU CAN'T". And, guess what? Yup, you guessed it - THEY DID and they STILL ARE doing!

I love it, I love it, I love it!

Hey, whatever you do and wherever you go, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Fuel For Your Future!

"Fuel For Your Future!"

Negativity attacks all of us each and every day, doesn't it? Sometimes we are successful in our battle to keep it from having an impact on our mindset and our lives but then there are the times that we don't do so well.

The example I used on today's podcast was comparing it to germs. We can do all within our power to stay healthy - take vitamins, cover our mouths when we cough, wash our hands often, get plenty of rest, etc. - but, sometimes, even in spite of our best efforts we still catch a cold.

So, what do we do with the negativity that gets through our "invisible force field" anyway? Will we allow it to sink us OR is there a way to use it to our advantage?

I've include the following link on the Fan Page for Future You University (why not join the fan page while you are there?) - http://www.facebook.com/FutureYouUniversity

This is the story of a man that was belittled by a teacher when he was a small boy. Here's what she told him: "You are an exhibition of failure, and all the children in the school need to know about you, because this is what happens if you don't listen to me, children."

Isn't that a terrible thing for ANY adult to say to a child? The story doesn't tell HOW his mother found out, but we all know that mother's DO find these things out. My guess is that he didn't come home and tell her but that she could tell something was wrong just by looking at him. Mother's have a way of doing that, don't they? And, don't you know he had to be feeling pretty low after that?

Now, the mother and child had a few choices of how to handle the situation. I know you can run through some of those and even what YOU would have done in this situation and the story doesn't tell us if the mother did use any of those other options or not. However, the story DOES tell us one major thing the mother DID do!

In the story, the boy - now a man - was told this by his mother: "You are now going to continue to make small things. If you keep making small things, your name will get bigger!" She also told him, "The smaller your work, the bigger your name."

The man, Willard Wigan, now creates"micro art" sculptures (read all about it in the article I mentioned) which sell for up to $150,000!

What an inspirational story! What a wonderful and wise mother! What an example of using the negative to FUEL HIS FUTURE!

The reason I have the picture of trash burning for this article is simply this: Use the negative "garbage" that comes your way to fuel YOUR future!"

Instead of allowing it to bring you down (the intent of negativity - do not forget that!) use it to inspire you and drive you to success!

How many times have you heard a successful person say something along the lines of, "They told me I couldn't do it" or "They told me I'd never amount to anything" and they used this to drive them to success?

So, yes, do your very best to block out the negativity so that it cannot have a negative impact on your mindset and life.

BUT - not if - when it DOES seep through, use that negative garbage as a way to fuel YOUR future! Burn it! Allow the heat and energy that comes from burning that garbage to provide you the energy to propel you towards success!

I like it!

Don't you?

And, as you do so, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Talk to OTHERS Affirmatively Every Day!

Twelve "Do's and Don'ts" For Living a Positive Life


1. Make Enthusiasm A Daily Habit!
2. Don't Allow Negative People to Determine Your Self-Worth!
3. Get Into The Habit of Talking to Yourself Affirmatively!

4. Get Into the Habit of Talking to Others With an Affirmative, Positive Vocabulary!

I want you to take a close look at today's topic combined with number 3 that we covered yesterday. By doing BOTH of these DAILY - "habit" - the we are conditioning ourselves to constantly be talking in a positive and "affirmative" way!

We are building up an "immunity" against the dangerous, negative influences that are all around us each and every day - THINK ABOUT THAT! In today's podcast I use the image of putting up a protective, invisible force field that will not allow this negativity to penetrate and get to us.

And, while doing this, we are helping to do what is talked about in the second point - not allowing negative people to determine our self-worth!

You see, by talking to ourselves AND others affirmatively (in the "yes!") on a daily basis, so that it becomes a habit, we are preventing the negative influences from having as much - if any - impact on our lives!

THIS IS POWERFUL so don't skip out on this - don't skip over it or discount it!

IF you are serious, IF you are determined to MOVE ON toward your goals and dreams then you must understand that this is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY!

Too, by talking to others in this way it helps us to stop focusing on what MIGHT be "wrong" with others or what we may not "like" about others and it will help us to focus on what is RIGHT and GOOD with all of those around us.

I've shared stories with you about how my wife has been determined in some of her work environments not to allow the negative people to have ANY power over her. As a matter of fact, her plan of action - ATTACK? - was to do all she could to turn the tables on them and basically make it impossible for them not to smile! AWESOME!

Try it - see what happens.

Determine RIGHT NOW that you are NOT going to say ANYTHING negative about ANYONE today and DO NOT budge on this! This means you will likely have to separate yourself from negative conversations so that you won't follow the temptation to join in.

Try it and give it your best shot!

And then, try it again tomorrow.

Daily.

Until it becomes a habit and you don't even have to think about it.

You'll be glad you did!

And, as you do so...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike