Boost your confidence and motivation with positive psychology and gratitude?

Building a positive mindset using 'positive psychology' saved my life! I know that sounds a bit dramatic. But you see, I was depressed during my 20s, and a series of self-help books changed my life from black and white to glorious technicolour. Once I knew how to catch and reframe my negative thought patterns I wanted to share it with the world. ...15 years later I did. I became a therapist and an emotional intelligence coach. So I truly believe that humans have an innate desire to flourish and grow. Just as nature relentlessly pushes forward, whatever the weather, so do humans. The number one skill in life? learn how to adopt a positive attitude, and rebuild a positive mindset whenever life knocks you back.

Positive psychology doesn't necessarily mean disregard negativity, or be okay with it, or don't think about it, or avoid it, hate it. It is about processing the negative thoughts or situation and find positivity and good in it. Every negative thought and situation has a positive side to it. For instance, when we meet negative people it doesn't mean we dislike them, it tells us we should not be like them. It makes us aware of ourselves. We should ask ourself. Am I annoying and negative like this person? If the answer is "yes" then we need to work on yourselves. We don't want to annoy other people the same way. So, we have to thank them for meeting us and we keep distance from them rather than confronting them.

Positive psychology helps us to focus more on what's going well and what we are good at, rather than what we can't do. It helps us better understand our strengths, build more resilience and have an overall more positive mindset. It gives us a 'positive affect'. The book 'Flourish' by Dr Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, is a great introduction. Positive psychology is a really useful tool for coaches to use in their practice.

Positive psychology plays a huge role in my personal and professional life. I strongly believe what we focus on grows. So if we focus on what is good in your life despite the hardship, we grow exactly that. This does not mean dismissing or not acknowledging that sometimes things can just be hard, or that there are days when you just feel down or sad, but rather it gives you the strength to bounce back and keep on going. A key question you can ask yourself daily is this: What is good today? This way you shift your focus to all the things that are going wrong to what is going right instead and it is a question that also activates feelings of gratitude.

Absolutely. It's pretty hard to remain feeling bad when you are focused on the positive things and people around you. This is why I always have pictures of family pets and babies nearby - in most circumstances it's hard to look at a smiling baby and not feel that spark of joy.

Practicing gratitude is life and mind changing! Here’s how I started: 1. Each night before I fall asleep, I say thank you to the universe for my day. Whether good or bad, I was able to walk this planet. 2. When I brush my teeth in the morning, I thank the universe for all that I have. Sometimes it’s not much, but it is more than what some people have and for that I will always be grateful. 3. When something goes wrong, I thank the universe for the lesson. 4. When things go right, I thank the universe for blessing me with good fortune.

Gratitude means be grateful for what you have and ask for more. Gratitude actually expands what you already have even if you don't ask for more. I have experienced that. Gratitude means ask for the whole private jet while you are enjoying your ride in economy class in the plane. You are so gratitude and joyful in your seat as if you have the greatest moment of your life. Because you love your economy seat and the ride so much that's why you want to buy the whole plane. Gratitude improves your current life, emotion, mental, and physical health and attracts more of it in the future.

Gratitude is the art of embracing life's blessings with a thankful heart, fostering positivity and resilience. It's a mindful embrace of the present that enriches your well-being and relationships. Start small and then see the changes.

Gratitude is extremely important for one more reason: By being grateful, we show our mind what’s good for us. And, as our mind’s first task is to keep us safe by making us avoid potential threats, it will do everything to pull you in a direction of what’s good & favourable for you. It all happens at subconscious level, without you being aware of this at all! So, by experiencing an emotion of gratitude, you train your mind to pick exactly those situations that might bring you more of what’s favorable. Example: I’m grateful for having great health. I’m grateful for having love in my life. I’m grateful for having money to buy food. By focusing on the positive, you will bring more of it into your life. Your subconscious will do the work!

Gratitude is a high-vibe emotion, meaning that if you are feeling grateful you cannot feel anger, frustration, or sadness at the same time. It also keeps you grounded and in the present moment, taking in all there is to love about this one life you get to live.

Adopting positive psychology ideas doesn't mean being happy all the time ... positive psychology gets bad press doesn't it? It means trying to counteract the human default setting of 'anxiety.' A positive outlook is not our default position. You see, evolution has wisely made us more concerned about 'what is going to go wrong' than 'what is going to go right'. Why? Because every organism needs to survive, and we need to live to fight another day and pass on our genes. If you've ever experienced anxiety, this is the body's natural response to stress. It happens automatically when we feel threatened. The best 1st line of defence is building resilience by keeping your mood level up! Plus gratitude practices add to your positive mindset.

The use of the word, "adopting" suggests the notion of opting to take ownership of something that does not naturally belong to us. Positivity is innate within all of us, as is negativity. We have the power, and right, to choose positivity in each moment. Positivity is not something that you have to obtain. Just choose it.

Positive psychology and gratitude can make you feel more confident and motivated. They help you see what you're good at and what you've achieved, which makes you feel better about yourself. When you're thankful for things, it makes you feel happier and more determined to reach your goals. Being grateful for even small successes keeps you feeling positive and encourages you to keep going.

I've witnessed how positive psychology and gratitude can be transformative. They instill profound self-assurance by unveiling hidden strengths and nurturing a growth mindset. Simultaneously, these practices stoke the fires of motivation through an enduring sense of optimism and appreciation, propelling you to conquer obstacles with renewed vigor.

In very simple terms, positive psychology and gratitude show that “hey, this ain’t that bad, I actually enjoy life” which in itself creates a sense of “I want more of this”. This is what creates a joy and love for life you cannot get enough of and it makes you feel good about yourself too.

A true fact is that anyone can learn just as much from looking at what has gone well, rather than purely what didn't. If you do 40 tasks in a day, 39 go right and one goes wrong, don't spend all your time analysing the one that went wrong. You can also focus on how the 39 things went right. How did you plan for these? What did you do? What strengths or skills do you utilise? What helped make things work? Who else contributed?

Practicing gratitude and positive reflection is like starting any new habit or routine. 1. Start small: try noting at least three good things once a week, and build from there 2. Choose a way that works for you, writing or drawing or voicenotes can work. You can do this sitting down, lying down or walking. Try things out and see what you enjoy. 3. Try sharing some of your gratitudes with trusted friends or family.

Don't reinvent the wheel when trying to build a gratitude practice. Read the book, "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne. See how your life changes in just 28 days.

One thing I have found helpful is practicing self-love and honouring oneself. Speaking using growth mindset vocabulary especially when faced with challenges boosts confidence and drive to keep going. In a family setting encouraging one another goes a long way to build resilience and happiness. An example can be introducing a ritual of no gadgets during meals. During family dinner the conversation could be around "what did you fail at today", instead of "how was your day?". Phrasing the conversation this way helps members to brainstorm solutions on how a challenge could be overcome. This promotes communication and builds self esteem and confidence. Skills learnt during meals ensures family bonds are stronger and trust is reinforced.

Gratitude is deeply engrained in my daily practice in building a strong positive as well as abundant mindset. And it is not hard to at all, simply write down 3-5 things you are grateful for every morning or evening. If you want to take it one step further, also express gratitude for what you don’t have yet, as it will allow you to become a magnetic match for it. I personally also always challenge myself not to write the same thing twice, so every day I find something new I am grateful for. For fostering positivity, I love using daily affirmations or intentions I paired with specific action steps. Only thinking good thoughts may not be enough to shift your mindset, it is the proof you collect in your daily actions that makes it so powerful.

Think of it this way, if you have a general positive and grateful attitude about life, you have more mental energy to focus on more of those positive aspects. Whereas if you are always caught up in worries, stress, and fear there is little energy left to do more of what makes you feel better. In fact, your brain will tend to want to do more of what is as easy as possible, and if it's well-trained in negativity that's the route it may go down. Practicing gratitude and implementing elements of positive psychology daily in small steps, will help you retrain your brain and shift your focus which then affects the rest of your life in terms of less stress, better sleep, and more joy.

In the workplace, gratitude and its active companion appreciation can improve job satisfaction, confidence, and our sense of wellbeing. It connects team members, improves relationships with customers and vendors, and offers an opportunity to repair trust in places where it has been damaged. One caveat: it has to be authentic. Fake gratitude is toxic, and our workplaces have enough of that!