Positives about being Positive

It’s Monday morning.  You missed your 3 alarms going off and it’s now 7:35am.  You missed your morning workout and need to be in the office around 8am.  You take a quick shower, throw clothes on, pack breakfast, make a to-go cup of coffee and out the door you are at 7:57am.  If you have children, good luck at being out of the door by 8:15am. For those of you who are out the door by 8:15am with young children,  you are super woman/super man!

You get to the office just in time for your 8:30am meeting all while spilling coffee in your car and down your pants…good thing you wore black!  Your 8:30am meeting ran late, your phone wont stop ringing, your “to-do” list went from 8 things to 15 things all due before noon the next day and to make things worse you got in trouble with your boss due to oversight.  Stress is high and it’s not even 5pm!  However will you get through the week?

Sound familiar?

In those instances it is sometimes hard to see the “light at the end of the tunnel.”  So how can you turn your stressful and frustrating day/week into something a bit more positive?

Research has shown that being positive can actually pay dividends to your life and lifestyle.  Living a more positive lifestyle can benefit you by enhancing health and longevity, happiness, career advancement, athletic performance, team building and financial success.

How to be positive in stressful situations

1. Take a step back

-Read a trashy magazine for 15 minutes

-Go on a walk

-Meditate

-Work on something you do enjoy

2. Call a close friend/family member to vent

-Do this with the intention to not let stress and frustration build and to help you to move on

3.  Be physically active

-Being active release hormones that helps alleviate stress so this is the time to run or punch or kick your frustration out

Benefits of living a Positive Life

1. Positive People Live Longer – In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)

2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)

3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)

4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)

5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)

6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)

7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)

8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can’t be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)

9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)

10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)

11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Tim Sanders)

 

Regardless of having a bad day, as everyone experiences bad days, make tomorrow a better day!  Try making funny face in the mirror or at your kids. Laughter is a great medicine for happiness!

Reference

Jon Gordon