“Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.”
– Victor Frankl
We have as much reason to choose positivity as we do negativity, but the latter is quite illogical in my opinion.
A negative mood reinforces a negative attitude, and let’s be honest, nobody likes a negative attitude.
This is not the same as sadness, frustration, or even anger, which are healthy to express in their own right moment.
Reflection
Negativity breeds judgment and facilitates grudges. I for one would rather choose positivity, even when it seems there is little reason to.
Why? Because my attitude is everything. What I see in the mirror reflects how I treat others and the truth is I love myself.
I also hold myself to high standards, to be hopeful, kind, and positive. It begins with affirmations. Just like how we are what we eat, we are also what we tell ourselves.
How a single choice can lead to the most profound change in our lives fascinates me every day.
For example, the choice to brush our teeth (which is a wonderful habit to link to meditation) gives us fresh breath, clean teeth, and even extends our lifespan.
When we remember to meditate before or after brushing our teeth, then we can attach one great habit to another (all meditation is not the same either, if it is difficult to sit for a while, try going on a walk or use guided meditation!)
Although a choice is difficult to describe, like putting one foot in front of the other vs buying a new car, the average adult makes around 35,000 decisions daily.
That’s a hell of a lot of decisions, and when faced with too many options, our brains naturally overload, struggling to process all available information, leading first to decision fatigue and then to decision paralysis.
(Decision Fatigue refers to the idea that our ability to make good decisions becomes depleted over time).
(Decision Paralysis is where we cannot make a choice, even when all necessary information is available).
Our constant availability of technology and bombardment of notifications has only increased in the last decade, making the practice of pausing to literally catch our breath or go on a nice walk without our phones or music has become a necessity.
The simplest choice is to put our devices in another room, outside the reach before bed, and when waking up, can affect our entire night (restful sleep) and morning (undistracted mornings).
The easiest solution I’ve found is a Fitbit Watch to remind me when it’s time to settle down, wake me up with a smart alarm, and track me while I dream of an endless world full of adventure and misfits (no this is not an advertisement, for that look at the link at the bottom lol).
Encouragement
No matter what, be kind. First to yourself and then to others. Repeat affirmations in the third person like: “You have the ability to do anything you put your mind towards.” or “Your happiness is a choice.”
Whether you believe these to be true or not doesn’t matter. Kindness towards yourself is a choice that has tremendous power.
Thanks
Thank you so much for the affirmation and encouragement lately ya’ll, it pushes me to keep this train going!
Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also Buy Me a Coffee if you are inclined to do so. Thank you in advance!
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