What kind of thinking will be required to live out a passionate life purpose? Positive thinking seems to be the simple answer. But proper thinking is a more comprehensive response. Action and lack of action are controlled by the mind. Therefore, to meet with the success I desire, I must set my mind to beliefs and patterns of thinking that empower me to do difficult things. This sometimes calls for a whole new perspective. A change of mind will most likely precede the transformational process of BECOMING the person you long to be.
These five principles of proper thinking help me foster a growth mindset, and move me forward to fulfill my life's passionate purpose.
Be Grateful
Be Positive
Be Confident
Be Determined
Be Intentional
Be Grateful
I have to make a conscious decision to practice thankfulness every single day. There are many things for which I am thankful, but if I do not acknowledge them it becomes easy to be ungrateful. To develop a grateful attitude I must incorporate thankfulness into the grind of my daily life, not reserving it for special occasions. I can only accomplish this by showing thankfulness regularly.
I cultivate an attitude of gratitude by keeping a gratitude journal. I also express appreciation to show others how grateful I am for them. These little practices help me recognize the good in my life and how much I have already accomplished As I grow a gratitude attitude I improve my overall sense of well-being, increase my confidence, and feel encouraged to press into increasingly difficult things.
Be Positive
Do I see the glass as half full, or half empty? Sadly, for a big part of my life, I tended to have a negative outlook. That's not something I like to admit, but it is true. I'm thankful that I have since learned to see things from a more positive perspective. I feel so much better now about embracing challenging and difficult circumstances.
Positive thinking means approaching life's challenges with a positive outlook. [1]
It is not that I view the world through rose-colored lenses. I don't ignore or gloss over the negative aspects of life. Positive thinking does not necessarily mean avoiding difficult situations. Instead, positive thinking means making the most of potential obstacles, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light. [2]
I promote positive thinking patterns by:
1. Paying attention to my thoughts. I Identify when negative thoughts crowd my mind and choose to turn off the switch or change the channel. People argue that they can't control the thoughts that enter their minds. While that may be true, it is also true that I can control whether or not to park on negative thoughts and dwell on them.
2. Monitoring my negative self-talk. How I talk to myself can play an important role in shaping my outlook. Shifting to more positive self-talk definitely has a positive impact on my emotions and helps me respond in better ways to stress.
Be Confident
As a man thinks so is he. [3]
I am learning to be confident in my own identity. I refrain now from comparing myself to others. That was a huge lesson to learn and it has helped me so much. I acknowledge that God created me with a unique purpose that was chosen and designed specifically for me. My purpose matches my personality and gives me a passion for life. The same is true for you. God created us each one with specific gifts, talents, and abilities. We must identify them and use them if we are to live successfully. Don't wish for the gifts of others, and don't waste your gifts. Be you! Do you! Know who you are and stay true to your creator and the calling He's placed on your life. Stay in your lane, and run your race. No one else can take your place in this world.
Surround yourself with positive people and keep track of all your successes. Write them down and look back on them when you are feeling doubtful. They will help you remember that you can do hard things!
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)
Be Determined: The Gift of Grit
I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying.
Tom Hopkins
What Is Grit?
"Psychologist, Angela Duckworth, formulated the idea of grit after noticing that talent and luck were incomplete explanations for success in a variety of fields, including the military, sales, business, and sports. In each of these, people who showed early potential sometimes dropped out, and some very successful people didn’t start off showing the most promise.
Duckworth noticed that the one characteristic that successful people had in common that distinguished them from the non-successful was grit, which she defines as a personality trait combining perseverance and passion.
Perseverance means having resilience: It’s the ability to overcome setbacks, work hard, and finish things rather than give up.
Passion means having direction: It’s the ability to adhere to a goal over the long term and maintain your interest level, as opposed to changing your goal mercurially." [4]
To simplify, it's not how you start that matters, it's how you have the determination to finish!! I am grateful that I am growing grit. I'm gonna need it to finish my race.
Hebrews:12:1 "And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
Be Intentional
Finally, another practice I embrace is living life with greater intentionality. To fulfill my purpose I must live on purpose. This is a daily practice that requires focus. We all live busy lives with hectic schedules. It is easy to lose sight of the things that matter most when the urgency of our schedules takes priority over urgent things.
Intentional living for me is paying careful attention to those things that really matter most and making them a top priority. It is taking care of the things that I truly value. Those things inspire and motivate me. Make deliberate decisions. Set your focus, and aim for the target! Keep your focus set clearly on the things in your life that matter and make room for them to blossom!
Live out what matters, right where you are.
The key is not to prioritize your schedule but to schedule your priorities. - Stephen Covey
To wrap up Part 3 of this series I leave you with this printable pdf file which will help Set Your Mind by writing your focus for this season.
Sources:
Seligman M. Learned Optimism. Random House.
Kendra Cherry. www.verywellmind.com/what-is-positive-thinking-2794772#citation-4
Bible Proverbs 23:7