What We All Tend To Forget

As a junior in college, I went through a very dark, unexpected twist in my outlook on life.  While most people knew me then and know me now as the girl who always finds the bright side of every situation, I did a one hundred and eighty degree turn back then.  It wasn’t without reason, but it was a bad move.  Yet it is something we do from time to time, whether we admit it out to others or not.

There are plenty of reasons why we go from positive Polly to negative Nelly: money trouble, family drama, heartbreak, a sudden change of plans.  You name it and it has helped bring out all the negative side in each of us, whether we wanted to go into the dark ages or not.  We’ve all been there.  And yet we can all get out of it, as long as we want to.

People tend to split into two different mindsets when faced with adversity of any degree.  One half of the people find themselves more motivated, reminding themselves how far they’ve come or that they’ll make it out of whatever is in front of them.  Then there’s the other half, who lift their nose high into the air and complain, because there’s no instant gratification.  You can guess who ends up happy in the end.  And it’s actually for a very simple reason.  Can you guess what it is?  That’s right: mindset.

It’s a misconception that mainly just athletes and those who enjoy competition need to work on their mindset, but everyone could benefit from a positive mental attitude.  Think of this way: it’s the difference between “I can” and “I can’t”.  One of my favorite sayings is simply that:

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”
~Les Brown

How do you think people like Bethany Hamilton managed to succeed after losing her arm?  She had a physical disadvantage to her competition, and yet she managed to find a way to stand out and defeat them.  She didn’t wake up every morning after the attack saying, “I’ll never be able to go pro now”.  There were hard days, yes, but she was consistent in one thing: believing she had what it took to achieve her dream, no matter the cost.  

If there’s one thing to master, it’s your mindset.  Someone once told me that the most valuable asset we have as human beings is the six inches between our ears.  Without our brain, we wouldn’t function.  Without training your thoughts to always find a silver lining, you’ll be disappointed and frustrated.  And you won’t achieve your wildest dreams, or even come close.

So fear not, because even if you are faced with a challenge, you can train yourself to succeed.  Don’t be discouraged: even a little progress in the right direction is still progress.  You’ll find that in the end when you look back on the journey, you’ll be glad you committed yourself to believing the glass is always full.