As we move through our days, there is always so much going on we can focus on. On any given day, we interact with all different types of people and have all sorts of experiences.
There are good things we can turn our attention to, such as focusing intently on the present moment and pouring all of our energy into whatever it is we are doing. When we are focused in this way and really experiencing the present moment, we are able to really do things with quality and also have the most positive frame of mind.
Alternatively, there are those things that really are nothing more than negative distractions that can suck all of our attention and drain our positive energy if we let them, i.e. the co-worker that continually gets you worked up because they do one terrible thing after another.
The question we need to answer is what are we choosing to focus on as we move through our day?
And, the even bigger question is how is what we are focusing on impacting the way we feel, our energy level and our frame of mind?
Our number one priority at all times has to be our frame of mind and keeping the positive energy flowing. There is no doubting the numerous benefits that result when you have the right mindset and the right energy flowing. It is when we are at our absolute best and can tap into our best creativity. It is when things just seem to continue to fall in place and unfold in the most amazing ways. There is nothing better and it all begins with having the right frame of mind where your positive energy just naturally flows.
So, the key is to understand how to always maintain this great frame of mind and if you can continually prioritize it over anything and everything else, you will be guaranteed to always be living the best way you can.
What does it really mean to prioritize your frame of mind?
It means you never allow anything to encumber or interfere with your ability to have a great frame of mind. You decide there is nothing more important than your positive mindset and consequently, you choose to make different decisions about what you allow to hold your attention. It is just no longer worth it to get mentally entangled with the many distractions or negative interactions that offer no benefits or peace of mind.
Easier said than done … possibly, but with time and practice you will get better and better at simply letting things go and not engaging in needless situations and debates. Your #1 goal is to keep your mind free of negativity and disturbances. It is a process and it takes discipline, but if you are committed to prioritizing your good frame of mind, it is more than possible.
How to use this alternaview:
1. Keep the Quality of Your Mindset Top of Mind. As you move through your day and have different experiences and interact with people, always keep your mindset and how you are feeling top of mind. Do a self-audit from time to time and ask yourself, what is the quality of my mindset right now? How am I feeling? Do I have positive energy flowing? You need to always be aware of your mindset and know if and when it is time to improve it or increase your level of positive energy. You need to recognize when it has been disturbed so that you can do something about it.
When You Need to Improve Your Mindset:
1. Realize You Only Have 2 Options. Essentially, with any disturbance, any issue, or anything that frustrates you, there are only 2 options: (1) Improve your perspective or (2) Remove yourself from the disturbance. It really is that easy and if you break situations down, there are only 2 constructive things you can do. You can either choose to see things differently and in a more positive light or you can simply just choose to remove yourself completely from the situation.
2. Realize that Complaining Is NOT One of the Two Options. It is easy to identify what you don’t like about a situation or a person. When things go in ways we don’t like, we could probably fill 3 or 4 notebooks with all the reasons why we don’t like the situation or why we disagree with what someone is doing. However, what does that really do? In the majority of instances people complain about issues to other people that are not really involved and can’t do anything to change what has happened. They end up working themselves up, getting frustrated, and eventually they just get fed up and nothing really positive changes about the situation. Why even put yourself through this? If you are just sitting around complaining about your boss, your husband, your job, the undesirable things you have to do, or anything else you dislike, you are not doing anything constructive for yourself and you are not prioritizing your good frame of mind. Complaining will always weigh you down and clog the flow of your positive energy.
3. Choose one of the 2 Options: As soon as you notice a disruption in your mindset, decide which option you are going to follow.
Option #1: Improve Your Perspective. You can choose how you are going to view and process a situation. You can choose to see it in a way that will ultimately benefit you, or you can allow all the things that are wrong with the situation to monopolize your attention and weigh you down. Start searching and focusing on the positive things about the situation. Are you being Pollyanna and only seeing the good side of things? Possibly … but what is looking at the bad side of things really going to ever do for you. Take a step back and think through how this situation may actually benefit you in the long run. Perhaps it will point you in another direction, or, maybe it will teach you a much needed lesson. Whatever the case may be, if you look there are always benefits. You just have to choose to see them and when you focus on the benefits, you will be amazed at how the situation will change for the better.
Option #2: Remove Yourself from the Situation. If you think that no matter how hard you try to see things differently and no matter what lessons you may learn, it still doesn’t make sense to be in the situation, then your other option is to choose to remove yourself from it. Go another route. Do something else. Don’t just wallow in negativity and allow bad situations to linger. Choose to do something about them. Now in some situations, you may not be able to simply remove yourself from the situation. If that is the case, then you actually only have one Option, and that is the first one … it is time to look at things differently and in a more positive light. Your main goal at all times must be to keep the best frame of mind and positive energy flowing.
…that is the alternaview.
That is so true. The best mindset happens when we look into the positive nature of situations and ourselves
Jaky: Thanks so much for stopping by the alternaview and sharing your thoughts. It really is all about finding your way to the best mindset and often that means we just choose to look at things differently. Thanks so much for the comment. Much appreciated.
Hi Sibyl,
It is a fact of life that there will always be a multitude of things fighting for our attention on any given day. On top of that, we have our own thoughts and feelings to deal with. In the mess of this chaos, it is easy to forget to focus on the present moment. To worsen matters, we might be seduced by the dark side and start to have negative thoughts.
I agree that an important priority is being aware of our frame of mind and keeping it positive so that we can act in a productive and decisive manner. This is not easy to do so as you say. It is a process and it takes discipline. But with practice we can achieve this. Your suggestions on how to have a positive mindset is very helpful. Here are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I read them.
Awareness
Being aware of our state of mind throughout the day is important. If we are not aware of our negativity, we cannot take steps to change it. I like your suggestion of a self-audit from time to time. It is a helpful way of ensuring we remain positive.
2 Options
It is true, in any situation, we can either fight or flight. Fight or as you say changing our perspective is important in coping with a disagreeable situation. Whenever I faced a challenge in the past, I used to get all negative. But today I prefer to focus on the solution and not the problem. By directing all my thoughts and energy into finding a pragmatic way of dealing with things, I have no time to be negative. And as soon as I have resolved the trouble, I am naturally happy.
Thank you for sharing this article!
Irving the Vizier
Thanks for stopping back by the alternaview and sharing your thoughts. I do like what you shared about being solution oriented and not just focusing on the problem. It really is such a good way to go about things. When you open your mind up to working through things and you are confident that there is always a way through, you really can come up with some creative solutions. Thanks again for the comment. Much appreciated.
Hi Sybil!
“What does it really mean to prioritize your frame of mind?”
“It means you never allow anything to encumber or interfere with your ability to have a great frame of mind. You decide there is nothing more important than your positive mindset and consequently, you choose to make different decisions about what you allow to hold your attention. It is just no longer worth it to get mentally entangled with the many distractions or negative interactions that offer no benefits or peace of mind.”
…Boy have I allowed this to happen. But my soul told me when I was challenged that all the support and true friendship I already had in my real physical word…and that my word is actually pretty awesome. I’m still pretty new to the blog world. I have found that being ignored after posting many comments a tough go…but today my dear friend that I run with on the beach (both barefoot for 3 years now) was there for me with her very wise soul. I was able to go over with her and get an honest ‘reply’ to these comments. Likewise I do the same for her.
Option #1: Improve Your Perspective. You can choose how you are going to view and process a situation. You can choose to see it in a way that will ultimately benefit you, or you can allow all the things that are wrong with the situation to monopolize your attention and weigh you down.
I like so many of the topics that novice and experts present in this online community. To ‘improve’ my perspective’ I plan on following up more in my interactions of my day to day world like I did today.
Like my friend said: “Their are plenty of Zen Buddhist here along the beach”.
“Time is a great teacher”
I do truely appreciate your efforts and the efforts of other’s…and thanks for responding to me the last time.
Kind regards,
Rand
Not to confuse my example with a complaint. What better but to use the situation of this online reality I have experienced…the world we are sharing here. It is not a perfect system I’m finding out quickly. My young daughter is more intune to it’s faults than I’am. Our younger generation we may find just might not have as much patience in the future…just something I sense…maybe I’m wrong.
You are both right about not complaining. Like I said this whole blog world has only had my attention since I believe July. I visually see by comment count appose to actually comments that I’m not the only one…not just me. My solution is to treat any site that does not respond as a good book. I will leave a comment like I may leave a notatiion in a good book that is being read. Then use what I like in my day to day life. It would nice to have the follow up from the ‘teacher’ as you will to add to the conversation I may be having with my friend, but we can’t have it all some times.
It’s not all what it may seem as we are currently having a great time at Farnoosh’s
Sibyl,
Wonderful guidance for improving our mindset!
You’ve broken it down for us beautifully.
We only have two options: change how we see the situation, or remove ourselves from it.
WE can apply either one as needed when a problem arises. Excellent tip!
I love # 2: Realize that complaining is NOT one of the options
Yes, I’m definitely going to do something about this in 2011.
Thank you~
Angela: Thanks so much for the comment and the feedback on the post. I am so glad that you appreciated what I had to say about ending all complaining. I do think it can be life changing to completely remove it from your day. Thanks so much for stopping by the alternaview and sharing your thoughts. It is always great to hear them.
Just a note on “complaint” great poetry, art, social/political movements (civil rights), love, religion, etc. are oiled by “complaint”. A “complaint” may direct one to an ‘alternaeview’.
Dilemma
By David Budhill
I want to be
famous
so I can be
humble
about being
famous.
What good is my
humility
when I am
stuck
in this
obscurity?
*I know you like quotes Sibyl (had to copy and paste your name to get the spelling correct!)
Thanks for sharing the quote Rand. You are right that I do appreciate good quotes.
Sybil, I like that term, audit the mind. It’s something I find I do quite often nowadays. Like observing how I feel if someone deliberately tries to antagonise me or get me to feel road rage. The process you described pretty much coincides with how I tackle the same issues and keeping my mind on track of staying away from the dark side.
Amit: Thanks for stopping by the alternaview and thanks for the comment. I do think self auditing is a good practice and I am glad that it has worked for you. It just helps to observe how you are feeling and know when it is time to move in another direction. Thanks again for dropping by.
Hi Sibyl!
I love how you’ve broken this down into two choices. That’s really what it all boils down to, and yet so often we tend to be indecisive and think that there must be other options, other ways to handle the situation.
The part about complaining in particular struck me, as it’s still a habit that I tend to fall into far too often. I’m becoming more aware of doing it, though, which is helping me to move away from complaining so often.
Hey Jess: Always great to have you stop by the alternaview. Much appreciated. Thanks for the comment. I think complaining is one of those easy traps to fall into. You feel like you are just venting and getting things off your chest and before you know it, you have entered into a downward spiral that is filled with negativity. I have no doubt you will be able to free yourself from complaining
Sibyl – In my eyes, you provided a fail proof system to keeping one’s mind right every single day. The dependency is on the individual – they own the option to keep their mindset at its best. It’s a matter of taking ownership of the opportunity. Great advice – Thank you!
JK: Thanks for the comment. You are so right that it all depends on the individual and how they choose to process information and protect their mindset. It is all about continually choosing to see things the right way. Thanks for stopping by the alternaview and thanks again for the comment. As always, it is much appreciated.
Hi Sibyl,
Very nice post! To be able to have the best mindset possible, we have to realize that for every situation we encounter, there are two ways to interpret the situation, positively and negatively. It is up to us to choose which interpretation to choose. With constant practice, we can get used to thinking positively and hence have the best mindset possible. Thanks for sharing
Dia: Thanks for the comment and stopping by. You are so right that it is all up to us on how we decide to interpret events and the things around us. I think as soon as we realize that and take advantage of our ability to interpret them in a positive light, we set ourselves up for everything to unfold in an amazing way.
Thanks Sibyl for this article. The topic and perhaps some of my comments really helped me immensely…pressure off! No more complaints from me.
I also want to say that you stood out right from the very start for me. I see you having a positive effect on so many people for years to come…your still so young…and what a great mind…so bright…and you have heart.
No need to respond…
We need ourselves more subconscious in our thinking. Focusing on better thoughts and being happy in the now, knowing we are going to make it our specific goal. This is a wonderful post. change your thoughts , change your life, right sibly? Great post.
Jonathan: That is what it is all about … just as you said it … change your thoughts, change your life. A nice simple formula and as soon as we put it to use, we will be amazed at the results we can achieve. Thanks for the comment and stopping by.
Hi Sibyl,
So well said, thank you! I second Angela’s comment!
What I know to be true in my life is when I resist, struggle/chaos ensues; when I open my heart allow for, then anything is truly possible, I’ve seen it become possible, each and every time..I also find if there is a situation/person, something that feels “less than” there is a lesson in it for me, so I learn the lesson as it is presented..and then I fully celebrate all else:)
I do know that I am the creator of my vibrational level, so I focus on keeping my energy pure and my vibration level high enough that drama/chaos/clutter is not present in my life. What I focus on grows, so I focus on enriching, fulfilling, inspirational…
Joy: Thanks for the comment. What you said is so true about whatever you focus on grows. And, the greatest thing is that we get to choose our mindset and what we focus on. It is all about taking advantage of that ability and putting it to great use. Thanks again for the comment and stopping by the alternaview. Much appreciated.
Hi Sibyl,
It is so true and can’t be said enough. We always have the right to be the Sovereign Ruler of our minds… and we always have the choice to exercise this right. Confusion & anger have no power in our lives when we learn to exercise our right of consciousness.
Hey Rob: Love that … the right to be the Sovereign Ruler of our minds. That really is such a powerful statement and is so true. We really can choose how to see everything and the choice we make will impact every aspect of our life. As always, thanks for sharing your wisdom.
For me it’s a simple personal philosophy Sibyl – to have a good mindset, don’t have a mind that is set. Keep it open and free to all possibilities. Then you’ll welcome them all in. A super selection box to choose from. Yum!
John: Thanks so much for the comment and I love that statement … to have a good mindset, don’t have a mind that is set. It actually is right in line with another post I am currently working on so thanks for sharing it
It really is all about keeping yourself open and free to all possibilities that may come your way. Thanks John for the wisdom. I really love that statement.
Sibyl,
This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I worked a job that many would consider extremely stressful and sometimes keeping a positive mindset is difficult. I am truly grateful for this alternaview it has altered the course of this day.
Some people just know how to push your buttons.
Frank: Thanks for the comment. How true it is that some people just know how to push your buttons, and will continually do so
I think the key really though is to rise above it and not get entangled in the drama. Never allow anyone or anything to ruin your frame of mind. Thanks so much for the comment again and I am so glad that this post came in handy.
There’s a lot to be said for the power of perspective.
Some people default to see the good things. Some people default to see the negative. At the end of the day, the power comes from choosing to see what makes you more effective. Choosing to focus on the positive is a way to energize, get resourceful, find opportunity, and make things happen. Choosing to focus on the negative, is a spiral down that leads to paralysis and pain.
I’ve been researching mindsets lately. I’m trying to map out a simple model. I haven’t found precision yet around mindsets, other than “types” of mindsets. My working understanding of a mindset is it’s our outlook and how we make sense of the world — how we process our inputs. I think the key components that influence our mindset are — the questions we ask, the state we are in (mental and emotional), the beliefs that we have, the references we draw from, and the values we drive from … the value that we move toward and the values that we move away from.
I want to get precision around mindset, frame of mind, attitude, mood … etc. because I think precision helps turn insight into action and come up with new ways to improve the system … and in this case, it’s our self-system.
J.D. Thanks for the comment and always sharing your wisdom here at the alternaview. I really appreciated what you said about our ability to choose to see what we want and how it is directly tied to how effective we will be. It is so true that we can really determine our effectiveness and success by choosing to see things in a certain way. I am intrigued by the research you mentioned you have been doing on mindsets. It makes perfect sense that if you can get precision around mindset and the process, you really can come up with ways to improve the system. I would definitely be interested in hearing more about your discoveries in this area. Thanks for sharing and stopping by.