There are lots of myths and misconceptions about psychology, success, therapy and more; especially when it comes to positivity and happiness. But one of the greatest misunderstandings surely has to be the myth of “positive thinking”.
Many people assume that “positive thinking” is the best way, or maybe even the only way to achieve happiness and success in life; and by this they seem to think that focusing on problems must be avoided at all costs.
But this is not actually the case; it’s definitely not supported by the research.
Unhelpful, negative thinking can be problematic; there’s no doubt about it. But so too can excessively and/or unrealistically positive thinking. Any thinking that’s unrealistic is likely to set one up for failure and lead, therefore to frustration and disappointment.
What’s important, therefore, and what’s been proven to be helpful, is thinking that focuses on solutions rather than problems and thinking that’s grounded in reality. And in this context, the context of making serious life changes to create a better, Super Life, the reality is that there will be problems. This is not being negative; just realistic.
We’ve already touched upon the notion of focusing on what you can control rather than on what you can’t control; and some of these problems and challenges will be beyond your control and unpredictable.
But at the same time, many of them will be very predictable and what this means is that we can plan and prepare for them.
Today’s task, therefore, is to do the following:
- Print out your obstacles worksheet – download here.
- List all the situations, people, thoughts or emotions that are likely to cause you difficulties. Think of anything, that is, that might derail you from your positive progress.
- Now for each of these, write down one or more potential solutions; things you can do about them if and when they raise their ugly heads.
What you now have is the beginnings of a relapse plan; a strategic approach to getting back on track as soon as possible whenever problems arise.
And as has been said by many a wise person … forewarned is forearmed!