2822: Why I Believe Being Positive Can Change Your Financial Situation And Your Life by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

[00:00:00] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep.

[00:00:24] So, press play on Good Sleep Tonight because a good tomorrow starts with a good night's sleep. Just search for Good Sleep in your podcast app and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily.

[00:00:38] This is Optimal Health Daily, Why I Believe Being Positive Can Change Your Financial Situation And Your Life by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of MakingSenseofSense.com and I'm Dr. Neal.

[00:00:51] Hey there and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or OHD and our Sunday bonus episode. Remember, this is where I share an episode from another podcast in our network. And today's comes from Optimal Finance Daily. And it relates nicely with the topic of health, which is usually what I discuss. So, with that, here's Diana reading to you and her commentary as we optimize your life.

[00:01:21] Why I believe being positive can change your financial situation and your life by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of MakingSenseofSense.com.

[00:01:32] Lately, I've been working towards thinking more positively and having a better outlook on life. Just doing this has already changed my world greatly.

[00:01:41] My life isn't perfect and I understand that no one else's life is as well. Everyone has something that might make them sad, angry, scared, etc.

[00:01:49] And I understand that in some circumstances, it can be quite difficult to see the positive.

[00:01:55] However, no matter how bad life seems to be going for you, I believe that having a positive outlook on life and engaging in positive thinking exercises can change your life.

[00:02:05] Learning how to be positive can be a great thing as there are many benefits of positive thinking.

[00:02:11] You're probably wondering, how does being positive relate to making sense of sense?

[00:02:17] This is a topic I'm discussing on my blog because being negative can impact many areas in a person's life.

[00:02:23] Being negative can impact your finances and that you may never think you will get out of debt.

[00:02:28] Then, because of this, you give up and let the debt keep piling up because you just don't see a way out.

[00:02:34] Being negative can impact your career because you may think that you're permanently stuck with a job you hate.

[00:02:39] Being negative can make a person think they don't deserve certain things such as traveling, family, friends, fun, and so on.

[00:02:47] The list goes on and on.

[00:02:49] Due to the reasons above, I thought this topic would be perfect to talk about today.

[00:02:53] I believe that being positive can help improve your financial situation, your career situation, your life, and everything else.

[00:03:01] Here are some of the many benefits of positive thinking.

[00:03:04] Number one, being positive can help motivate you in life.

[00:03:09] The first of many benefits of positive thinking is that it can help motivate you.

[00:03:13] It can motivate you in life because it can help you realize that you are in charge of your life.

[00:03:19] If you're positive about things going on in your life, then you most likely will set goals for yourself and strive to achieve those goals.

[00:03:26] This is because you believe that good things are possible and that you're in charge of your destiny.

[00:03:31] By being positive, you will hopefully feel more motivated to get out of debt, to find your dream job, to travel the world, or do whatever else in life that you want to do.

[00:03:41] Number two, being positive will help you stop fretting about the past.

[00:03:46] If you have a positive mindset, that means you're no longer dwelling on the past.

[00:03:51] You'll realize that you cannot change the past and all you can do is realize what happened and how you can improve it for the future.

[00:03:58] Dwelling on the past will get you nowhere in life and all you're doing is wasting your time.

[00:04:03] Instead, make positive changes and learn for the future.

[00:04:07] Number three, being positive can change your outlook on life.

[00:04:12] Being negative can limit yourself and your abilities greatly.

[00:04:15] If you think you cannot do something, then you most likely will not.

[00:04:20] Negative thoughts can make you feel stuck.

[00:04:22] They can make you feel like there's no way out of your problem and that you have no options.

[00:04:26] This is why you should stop acting negative and be more positive instead.

[00:04:31] Being positive can help you realize that you're able to do things.

[00:04:35] Being positive will help you realize that you're in control of your life.

[00:04:38] Being positive will help you realize that little things in life will not kill you.

[00:04:43] Being positive will also help you move on and deal with stressful situations better.

[00:04:47] Everything in your life will be impacted if you choose to live more optimistically.

[00:04:52] Number four, how to be positive with positive thinking exercises.

[00:04:58] So how does a person learn how to be positive?

[00:05:01] Now that you've read the many benefits of positive thinking,

[00:05:04] I'm sure you're interested in trying out and seeing if it works.

[00:05:07] Here are my positive thinking exercises so you can learn how to be positive today.

[00:05:12] Number one, instead of saying I can't, say I can.

[00:05:17] Number two, smile more.

[00:05:19] Smiling is contagious.

[00:05:21] Studies have also proven that smiling can improve your mood as well.

[00:05:24] Even if you have to force a smile, just do it.

[00:05:28] Number three, be optimistic.

[00:05:30] This is one of the positive thinking exercises that you must do no matter what.

[00:05:34] No matter how bad things are, you should try to think about the positive things going on in your life.

[00:05:39] Think about how you can improve your life and how you are in charge.

[00:05:44] Number four, be thankful for what you have.

[00:05:47] Number five, don't try to keep up with others or compare yourself to others in a negative way.

[00:05:52] Yes, you can use others as motivation as long as it's what you truly want.

[00:05:57] Number six, remember that you're in control of your life.

[00:06:00] If you're unhappy at your job, then do something about it.

[00:06:03] If you're unhappy about your finance situation, then change your situation.

[00:06:08] Number seven, forget about regret.

[00:06:11] Regret doesn't get you anywhere in life and this is an important step when learning how to be positive in life.

[00:06:17] Number eight, do nice things for others.

[00:06:19] You'll help someone else be more positive and you'll be helping yourself as well.

[00:06:24] This can mean carrying someone's groceries, saying hello to strangers, volunteering somewhere, and more.

[00:06:29] You just listened to the post titled, Why I Believe Being Positive Can Change Your Financial Situation and Your Life by Michelle Schroeder Gardner of makingsenseofsense.com.

[00:06:44] Can I tell you guys a secret?

[00:06:46] I read this article today while I'm not feeling very positive.

[00:06:50] It happens.

[00:06:51] I'm human and as much as I agree intellectually with what this article is saying, I know I'm not going to be positive at all times.

[00:06:59] Moods are kind of like the stock market.

[00:07:01] There are highs and lows.

[00:07:02] And just like the stock market, we should anticipate the lows as a part of the game.

[00:07:07] I think the first part of working through it is not resisting it.

[00:07:11] I'm allowing myself to fully feel my bad mood.

[00:07:15] But I'm also being careful not to wallow in it.

[00:07:19] The second thing I like to do is remind myself that the internal self-talk is just a story.

[00:07:24] We're all constantly making up stories about what things mean, why people do the things they do, and what the future will look like if X, Y, or Z happens.

[00:07:35] Many times, these stories don't turn out to be true.

[00:07:38] But in the moment, they help us cope with uncertainty.

[00:07:41] We have a tendency to want to be negative more than we want to be uncertain.

[00:07:45] So if you're going to tell yourself a story that may or may not be true anyway, why not just tell a story that feels better?

[00:07:52] There's a book that really helped me in this regard by Ryan Holiday.

[00:07:56] It's called The Obstacle is the Way.

[00:07:58] He makes a really compelling case for how we can turn lemons into lemonade.

[00:08:03] As obnoxious as that sounds to me right now.

[00:08:05] The other thing that helps me cope with negativity is to stay rooted in my routines.

[00:08:11] I developed, nurtured, and solidified my daily routines when I was in a really positive headspace.

[00:08:17] It's almost like I've trained for this moment of negativity because I'm surrounded by cues to remind me that this moment will pass.

[00:08:26] So in addition to Michelle's recommendations, I'd like to suggest that when you are feeling positive, which is bound to happen at some point,

[00:08:34] do some preparation in the form of routines and habits that will serve you well when you're not feeling so great.

[00:08:41] And that will do it for today.

[00:08:43] Have a great day and start to your weekend.

[00:08:45] Thank you for listening.

[00:08:46] And I'll be back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.