How Do You Stay Positive?

How do you feel when you hit a goal?  Maybe your goal weight?  Maybe you ran a marathon?  Maybe you hit your sales goals?  Whatever it was, do you remember how you felt?  The excitement of achieving something you have been working for – were you giddy with happiness, or are you like me and cry tears of joy?

Now, how did you feel working towards the goal?  Frustrated?  Overwhelmed?

May is full of celebrations – my birthday, my 10th wedding anniversary and God willing, my 3rd year in recovery.  May is the end of the ThirtyOne fiscal year and I have already hit my HIGHEST year in personal sales since I started with the company.  With all of these exciting things, you would think it would be easy for me to stay positive, right? The truth is I struggle with staying positive.

So many of us work hard in pursuit of big bold goals – because it feels so good when we make them happen, right?  The truth is BIG wins don’t happen every day.  Sometimes not even every month, quarter, or year. Sometimes big dreamy goals take time, patience, and a whole lot of devotion to make happen. And it’s okay, it’s how it’s supposed to be.

But are we supposed to defer our happiness, our joy, and our contentment until those BIG dreams happen?  How many of you actually celebrate or give yourself credit for the baby steps you made on the way to your BIG goal?

Most of us (me included) forget to feel proud of ourselves in the here and now – in the moment BEFORE we reach the big goal. It is important for us to allow ourselves to enjoy the moment. We can make ourselves crazy if we continue to defer our happiness until some day in the future when we make those big dreams happen.

So what if we started to obsess over our little wins instead of the big ones?  What if we reconnected with the things which truly matter most in my life – the present, the here and now.  When we show up each day for our work and our life while taking care of ourself, our family, and our business – these are the things which truly matter most. The big wins are then the icing on the cake.  The little wins are the ones which truly shape and define a well lived successful life.  One of my biggest struggles in recovery (combined with the MS) is living in the moment.

What do some of your little wins look like? Do any of these look like yours?

I paid my bills this month on time and am reducing my debt.  That’s awesome.

One of my favorite customer/hostess wants to host another party. That’s amazing.

I got 6 hours of sleep a few nights this week! Go me.

I gave myself time and space to read an incredible book this month.  Woo hoo!

I created and shared original posts on social media this month I’m proud of.  I sure did.

I embraced guilt-free rest this week whenever I needed it.  Yes!

              I didn’t beat myself up with I made a mistake. Yes!

             I rode my stationary bike 3 times this week. Yes!

Do any of these sound like baby steps you took?

Maybe you got up, showered & dressed at least twice this week?  Maybe you you reached out when you were struggling?

So, what happens when you think about the little steps you took this week?  Were you energized, excited, and aligned?

Believe it or not, when you are focused on the little wins, you are less attached to the outcome.  You can feel proud of the hard work and devotion it took to make the BIG dreams happen without diminishing what it took to make the little, everyday wins happen too.

I’m challenging you to obsess about your little wins instead of the big ones.

What are five things you’re really proud of this week?  No matter what they are, embrace the positive feelings about the little wins.  Enjoy the feelings as you celebrate showing up each day and giving your life everything you’ve got.  Because it’s what really matters in the end.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Powerful Words

Happy Friday!  This week I learned just how powerful words can be and the impact that they can have on your day.

I EXPECTED the week to start of great, I mean it was my birthday, right?  I had visions of what other people would do to make my day special.  Instead of focusing on me, I spent the day supporting hubby and taking my MIL for an outpatient procedure.  The day was shot.  Hubby and my MIL was grateful.  I knew it was the right thing to do.  As I reflect, I am glad that I did because hubby had a rough day health wise. Blessed with birthday wishes from near and far, it wasn’t what I expected and the end result was that I spoke into existence “just another day”.

As I woke up the next morning, I realized that I had missed all of the blessings along the way.  My attention was focused on what I didn’t have versus what I had and so it became “just another day”.  There is power in words and once you speak of something and send it out into the Universe it becomes true whether it is negative or positive.  No, I am not on a pity pot.  No, I am not looking for sympathy.  It is an AHA moment that may help someone else who is feeling a little down because things didn’t go quite the way they planned.

My week got better because my words got better which changed my vision.  Take a few minutes to write down 4 or 5 things that you want, be very specific about what you want and why you want these things.  I am going to be VERY transparent here with my “wants”:

• I want to enjoy my life looking at the positives instead of letting the negatives effect my relationships.  This will make me happier and my marriage stronger.
• I want to build relationships with my existing and potential customers, hostesses, and team.  This will allow me to help others while growing my business.
• I want to learn how to manage my money so that I be debt free from credit card debt.  This why is a little harder for me.  I just know that I need to be a better steward of my money and I am tired of being in debt.
• I want to maintain my goal weight.  I know in my head that this is for improved health, to eliminate the aches and pains that I have and to live a long life.  BUT I haven’t found an emotional connection to why I want to do this.  I know I should.  I know I like the compliments even though I feel that I don’t deserve them.

Look at all the areas of your life, career, relationships, health, and wellness.  What are your wants?  Are they tangible wants?  Do you feel a tug on your heart when you put those wants on paper?

It is time to take action.  Choose one of the things that you want and create a powerful mantra around this goal. Then say it out loud at least twice a day in the morning and at night. You will continue to say this until you feel it, know it and until it shows up!  Not sure how to create a mantra that is YOUR own?  Start off your mantra with the words “I AM” or “I WILL”.  Here is mine:

I WILL focus on the positives being thankful for each moment.

What is your mantra for today?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!