There are many ways to live life. One approach is to do positive things to get positive feelings and do your best to get positive results. Different people follow this approach in different situations.
Some people do it in their daily lives. Some do it in their relationships. Some do it in their work. Some do it when aiming to do their best during their time on the planet. Let’s explore how different people may follow this approach in different situations.
Positive Things
Many years ago I worked with somebody who faced several challenges. They were going through a painful divorce, had a difficult boss at work and felt the world was getting on top of them.
We focused on the practical steps they could take: a) to continue to encourage their child during the divorce; b) to manage the work situation; c) to work towards their long term personal and professional picture of success.
They also said that they felt down and depressed. Bearing this in mind, we explored one of the key ways to change a feeling. This was:
They could do positive things to increase the chances of
having positive feelings and, if appropriate, get positive results.
This approach may sound simple – and even simplistic – but is also contains a truth. People who take this approach are more likely to put themselves into positive circles rather than negative circles.
Much depends on a person’s situation, of course, so different people may do different positive things. Here are some examples of the steps that people may take when following this path.
Positive Things – A Person May Choose
To focus on the positive things in their life … To get a success early in the day … To encourage another person … To take responsibility for shaping their future life … To follow a structure in their daily life.
To do things that give them positive energy … To go for a walk … To listen to their favourite music … To eat nutritious food … To spend time with positive people … To do something to work towards their life goals.
This was the approach taken by the person who felt down. They started by doing simple things. These included counting their blessings, encouraging their child and doing their chosen exercise.
A person who takes such steps can put themselves into a positive circle. This can boost their strength and ability to focus on their longer term goals. It can also increase the chances of them experiencing the next theme.
Positive Feelings
There are many views about how it is possible to manage feelings. One approach is to recognise the circle of feeling, talking and doing. It is then to do something to change the feeling.
There are times when it can be helpful and, in some cases, even vital for a person to talk about a feeling they have. This can help them to express their sadness, disappointment or other difficulty.
Feeling and talking are important. If a person wants to feel differently, however, one way is for them to do something that will increase the chances of them having the desired feeling.
A person who feels bad, for example, can aim to do something that will help them to feel better. It is important, of course, for them to do this in a healthy way rather than one that may hurt them or other people.
Bearing this in mind, it can sometimes be useful for a person to go through the following stages. They can aim:
To acknowledge that they have a certain feeling;
To decide on the feeling they would like to have in the future;
To do something that will increase the chances of them having that feeling.
Many people know what they can do to make themselves happy or unhappy. Sometimes this may be at an unconscious level, of course, but it can be good for them to make this conscious and then act on it.
A person may sometimes go through the stages of feeling, talking and doing. They can then aim to do things that increases the chances of them having a positive feeling.
A person who takes this approach can put themselves into a positive circle. This can sometimes lead to, as a by-product, helping themselves or other people.
Positive Results
There may be many times when it can simply be enough to do positive things and get a positive feeling. They may also be times, however, when it can lead to producing certain kinds of positive results.
A person who encourages people may increase the chances of helping others to enjoy good experiences. Some do this in their daily lives. They aim to be kind and help other people to have positive memories for life.
Many educators start by clarifying what the learner wants to learn. They then create an inspiring environment, provide implementation tools that work and encourage the learner to integrate the learning in their own way.
Good leaders may also sometimes aim to create an encouraging environment that enables motivated people to perform superb work. Such leaders then aim:
To be positive, predictable and enable people to deliver peak performances.
There are many ways to live life. One approach is to do positive things to get positive feelings and do your best to get positive results. Different people follow this approach in different situations.
Let’s return to your own life. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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