5 Simple Steps to Shift Your Negative Thinking

Let those B.S. go.

“That’s such a bad idea, nobody’s going to like it.”

“I can’t possibly run a business on your own.”

“Why did I even post that! Now everyone’s going to see how I’m such a failure.”

Pause for a moment and just breathe.

Now, if the statements you’ve just read sound a little familiar to you, it’s simply because you’re human, and sadly, we are good at talking ourselves down because our primitive brain wants to save us from danger and that’s its way of doing it.

But we all know that, if these negative self-talks left unchecked, they could run wild and affect our confidence, and worse, our sense of self-worth.

And, if you believe in the Law of Attraction as I do, you know that these negative thoughts and feelings are going attract negative outcomes.

If you are ready to ditch your negative thinking and, as a result, achieve your goals, apply these mindset shifts.

1. Life is 50/50

I heard this concept from the Life Coach School podcast and I love it. In one of the episodes, Brooke Castillo was saying that we shouldn’t aim for a life that is 100% happy, not because it’s impossible, but because that’s meaningless.

We won’t actually be happy with a life that always has rainbows and unicorns because we won’t treasure it if we haven’t experienced those shit days.

Life is 50/50, and it is what makes it amazing.

So, on those days when you sh*t talk to yourself, remember that it is ok because you are having the other 50%.

Remind yourself that the other 50% is waiting for you and be excited about it coming into your life.

2. Perception = Reality

Ever wanted something so bad, but once you got it, you didn’t feel as good as you thought you would?

This is because our brains often exaggerate things, and this could inevitably make us happy or sad.

These feelings can have a significant impact on what we perceive in the world.

This brings me to my point; your perception of things represents your reality.

It’s not real or factual, it’s just what you think, and that doesn’t reflect anything else in the outside world.

Think about this when things get hard and remember, whether you succeed or fail, the experience is entirely self-defined.

Also, if you have decided something you did is indeed a failure, remind yourself that, failure is the cost of success.

3. Let It Go

We all know the more resistance we give to something, the more we empower it to take control over us.

So, it is unnecessary and counter-productive to battle your negative self-talk.

I don’t know what you would do if someone came to you and started criticizing you.

Well, I definitely would not try to argue with that person because my time and energy are better spent elsewhere.

Rather, I would tell that person, “Thanks for your comments” and then politely excuse myself from the situation.

We should apply the same approach with our negative self-talk, whenever they came, we can simply tell ourselves, “Here is this thought again. It is ok, and I let it go”.

4. Ask the Right Questions

If sh*ts happen to you and you ask yourself, “why did that happen to me?” That’s the wrong question because it takes over your power.

Change the “to” to “for” and ask “why did that happen for me?” and get back to the driver’s seat to learn from life and take action.

5. Replaces Sources of Negativity in Your Environment

In many cases, negative thinking stems from interacting with things or people around us.

For instance, the other day I was on Kim Kardashian’s Instagram, and I noticed that she has no necklines, I was so jealous, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for myself because heck, I am younger, but she looks so much more amazing.

It’s good that later on, I watched a YouTube video about how her photos are always airbrushed.

What we expose our minds to is crucial.

So, if you want to beat negativity, you need to replace sources of negativity in your life with those that bring positivity.

It could be people, music, the content you consume online, and so on.

That’s why recently, I hid Kim K’s feeds on my Instagram.

6. Be Grateful

You can’t be grateful and negative at the same time, so gratitude is definitely a curl to any negative self-talk.

Start spending a few minutes each day just thinking about the things you are grateful for.

I like to be grateful for those little things that we often take for granted, like having a healthy body or a roof over my head.

By making gratitude a habit, you will gradually overcome your negative bias.

Final Thoughts

So, what’s the takeaway from this?

Looking at the bright side of life definitely takes effort.

Your mind isn’t automatically going to see the positive because, from a survival viewpoint, it’s wired to check for the negative things in the environment and hold on to that.

But practising these simple steps will, over time, rewire your mind towards positive thinking and self-talk.