TURNING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES

The simple phrase, Turn your negatives into positives, is advice most of us have heard many times, and for good reason. It’s excellent advice to use toward any goal or aspect of your life––painting, writing, snowplowing, self-esteem stuff, marriage, or parenthood.

For instance, when you drop a brush slathered in the darkest paint on your palette (think burnt umber, a deep brown), and it lands on a still wet cerulean blue canvas, don’t panic. Just tell yourself, Now I know exactly where my tall tree will be.

In another direction, if you think you’re coming up shy meeting your writing goals, try this out––I’m so glad I didn’t manage to write a single sentence today, because it’s good to let yesterday’s work simmer in my brain before I go further. I’m grateful that I’ve been blessed with willpower.

Find something good to say no matter the situation, even when you glimpse a side view of yourself in a mirror. Handle it like this: “Oh good. My stomach finally sticks out further than my rear does. My butt doesn’t look so big anymore.”

Parenting and marriage are other areas of life that little negatives like to sneak into. If they do, try these on for size: 

Oh great, my kids won’t get out of bed for school. Those sweet little darlings have given me the task of pulling the blankets off of them and screaming into their ears. It’s nice to feel needed.

Oh look, hubby left his soda cans and popcorn bowls on the coffee table again. I thought I’d have to wake up to an empty house today, but he’s managed to fill it quite well.

Sometimes you just have to fake it until you make it. Life hits us with boring, difficult, or time-sucking obligations. You might simply wake up in a crappy mood for no reason at all, and how do you get anything done like that? 

That’s when you need to trick yourself. Stroke your imagination with affirmative statements until you believe them. Trust me––it works.

If you’re at a grueling get-together, smile and act like you’re having a great time. Fake it to the max. After a while, you’ll enjoy faking it so much that your mood will actually shift and you won’t be faking anymore.

So, on those days that you wake up and it looks like a perfect day to go sailing, shopping, or riding––anything to take you away from your duties––talk to yourself: “What a wonderful day to get to work. To sweat and ache. I’m so blessed.” Then remember, fake it until you make it.

Happy day!