7 experts share their secrets to achieve a positive mindset
In your years of experience, how were you able to achieve a positive mindset?
Manisha Thakor of Money Zen
To achieve a positive mindset, I recommend you follow the “Be.Do.Have.” method. Most of us think we have to DO something in order to have some possession or experience in order to be happy. By contrast, the most joy filled people I know start from making the decision to be happy right now, no matter what the circumstances. This doesn’t mean you are never going to see those circumstances change, it just means you accept where you are right now. And from that place of truly being present you then get more clarity on what you are supposed to do next to maintain that happiness.A great question to ask yourself is - "What next indicated step should I take to bring me one step closer to more joy?". From this action, you will then end up having whatever it is that you are supposed to. Be.Do.Have. your way to positivity!Manisha Thakor, CFA, CFP® is the Founder of MoneyZen.com. With an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Wellesley College, she is a nationally recognised author and financial literacy advocate. Based in Portland, OR, Manisha loves third wave coffee, the stunning natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and all things yoga.
Greg Marcus of American Mussar
The best way to stay positive is to practice gratitude, for both good and bad things that happen. Sit down for 15 minutes and write down everything that you are grateful for. Be sure to include people, inanimate things like clothes and clean water, as well as some challenges. Bad situations come with a silver lining, and open up new possibilities we never would have considered before. When we recognize the abundance in our lives, and not longer take things for granted, setbacks no longer seem to matter.Greg Marcus, PhD is an innovative Mussar maven and the creator of American Mussar, a 21st century spiritual practice for an authentic and meaningful life. He is a graduate of the Mussar Institute’s facilitator training program, and has been practicing and teaching for five years. Greg offers guidance on how to lead a life of mindful harmony and spiritual integrity, drawing upon timeless Jewish teachings and contemporary wisdom alike. He has a Ph.D. from MIT in biology, and worked for ten years as a marketer in Silicon Valley.
Stephan K. Thieringer of The Human Innovation Garage
"When we strive to manifest a positive mindset and essentially positive intentions, understanding self, what I call radial self-awareness, represents the core catalyst for such personal growth and transformation. Understanding yourself provides the necessary foundation to engage in self-management, ultimately affecting and inspiring your relationships in an elegant, powerful and positive manner. The obvious transparency, openness and vulnerability with ourselves, allows us to challenge our own status quo and thus transform our thinking. Daily practice of positivity, less comparing to others, less engagement in “what ifs” and rather focusing on what is and can be possible, switches self-sabotaging limitation to possibility and opportunities – and that in personal as well as professional context.Stephan K. Thieringer is a nationally renowned personal innovation strategist, business thinker, and ICF certified executive coach. A successful and serial entrepreneur, he founded The Human Innovation Garage in 2013 which engages C-Suite Executives, Senior Business Leaders, and fast-growth organisations –turning between $5MM and $250MM in annual revenue—to regain time and create essential relationships that will impact the bottom-line.
Mark Jaffe, Author of Suitcase of Happyness
Mark Jaffe is the author of "Suitcase of Happiness: A Roadmap to Achieve and Enjoy Your Happiest life. Mark was a former senior executive at The Walt Disney Company, spent many years creating happy moments. At a young age he realised that his happiest life was not something out of reach. He studied, observed, cultivated, and ultimately enjoyed an enduring happiness through a singular focus on identifying what worked and what didn’t.
My passion is living each moment to its fullest. I believe my happiness is a choice. It does not come to those who are passively waiting. What you focus on, you find. Focus on seeing, feeling and enjoying happiness and you will see and experience your life through that lens.
Roh Singh of The Happiness Platform and Populis
Your positive mindset is within you and to cultivate only takes 3 deep breaths. Learning to breath properly and using the Happiness Platform techniques in your everyday life will bring you serenity. Your mind cannot control your mind, only your breath can control your mind. Start this practice and see the light of life that builds you a high performing life of substance.Roh is a global leader and entrepreneur. After leading corporate organizations for 25 years, he recently ventured into the Happiness space as CEO and co-founder of Populis - a provider of happiness leadership and high performance business services. He is an empowering coach to spiritual gurus around the world and has launched The Leadership Framework and The Happiness Platform.
Benjamin Shalva, Author of How to Go Slow, Give Thanks, and Discover Joy Within
To achieve a positive mindset, first let go of the idea of 'positive'. Instead, ask yourself, “How can I be honest, kind, and good in this moment?”. 'Positive' is aimless. It’s a quality without a cause. Honest, kind and good are full of intention. When you ask yourself, “How can I be honest, kind, and good in this moment?”, you might not find an answer, at least not right away. That’s okay. Take some deep breaths. Notice the sensations, sights and sounds that surround you. Maybe hum a little tune while you wait. The answer will come. It always does.Benjamin Shalva is a writer, meditation teacher, yoga instructor, and rabbi. He is the author, most recently, of Ambition Addiction: How to Go Slow, Give Thanks, and Discover Joy Within (Grand Harbor Press, 2016). His book shares the five steps to living a fulfilling life of healthy, productive ambition in which grand but elusive fantasies give way to the true happiness of the here and now.
Brian Tom O’Connor, Author of Playing with Your Mind to Create Joy
Brian Tom O'Connor, author of Awareness Games: Playing with Your Mind to Create Joy, is an actor, theatre director, and formerly depressed guy who stumbled onto the source of joy and happiness in the background of all experience. If someone as imperfect and flawed as he is can find it, so can you.
Use awareness to achieve perspective and a positive mindset. Sometimes a negative emotion washes over you and demands your attention like a siren. Like a jealous lover, it wants all your attention. It says, "Deal with me! Don't think of anything else!"
When this happens…
- Just for a bit, don't try to fix it or make it go away
- Imagine the emotion is showing up in awareness. That is, there's the emotion, and there's awareness of the emotion
- Ask yourself, “What else is in awareness other than this unwanted feeling? Sounds? Sights? Sensations? Thoughts?”
- Expand your awareness until it includes them all
This is true perspective.
Much like the world of trading, the idea of wellness requires good habit and patience. To achieve a positive mindset, traders need to acknowledge that there will be many emotions involved in trading. Because of this, it is important to also accept your anxieties without personal judgment.At the end of the day, the mindset we choose for decision making can influence output. Whether these are negative thoughts or optimistic views, traders can benefit a lot from facing them as they are. Without having to change yourself, being positive minded can help you achieve healthier well being. To be goal-oriented in both life and career, practice a way of thinking that is mindful and proactive.