If you’re reading this post then chances are you’re into personal development. Think about all the hours you’ve consumed of this material, reading, watching and listening through hundreds of hours over the years and all the advice you have been given. But what if, there were 3 habits you could do to radically change your results. Well here they are:
- Content – ask yourself ‘What content are you consuming?’ An article by the HuffPost in 2015 stated “But just three minutes of negative news leaves you 27 percent more likely to have a bad day.” – Gabriel Arana. If there’s someone on your social media feed not serving you then unfollow them, the same goes for real life, remember, it’s ok to unfollow someone in real life too. You receive signals from your environment based off your subconscious thoughts, for example during this Covid-19 crisis we’re working from home and our mind sees unusual queues such as working at home with your partner. Our mind tells us this is not normal and we become to feel anxious is some cases. I urge you to not let that anxiety control you and focus on the happiness. Find this difficult? Simply practice gratitude.
- Your Words – we will always have negative thoughts throughout the day, and that’s ok. As long as we always come back to positive or even neutral thinking we will keep moving forward. Here’s something to think about. Harvard Business Review found that when you say something out loud it’s 10 times more powerful than when we think about it. So the next time you have a negative thought, simply keep it to yourself. Negative comments already have multiples of 7 and are more powerful than positive comments. Neutral thinking as mentioned above is a technique to use when positive thinking is too far out of your grasp. It’s a placement of zero judgement, just being. Practice this by sitting upright in a chair while staring at a single point. Acknowledge your thoughts without emotions.
- Self-Image – Out of the three listed above I’ve saved the best for last. Understand this, your self-image is everything! This is why you’re getting the results you’re getting. We all have a cybernetic mechanism, like a thermostat. Our ‘default mode’ is our conditioning, habits and patterns lodged in our subconscious mind. Ever feel amazing after watching a motivational video but a few hours later you’re back to where you were? This is why motivational videos don’t work long-term because motivational videos might give you a short burst of energy, but to sustainably achieve success we must move the thermostat and increase our self-image. Our successes will be short-lived if we don’t do so.
Personal development is a life-long road full of ups and downs. During tough times you must stay focused and not collapse. It’s often said that necessity is the more of creativity so get creative! The Covid-19 epidemic is an unprecedented time in our society, but this is where your true character will be tested. Can you only work during spring and summer or are you built for winter?