That negative chatter that happens in our heads, those voices that lie to us and tell us things to hold us back, to keep us down and to keep us in a place of isolation so we stay where we are and believe we don’t deserve better, I call those voices The Bullshit Committee. I tell them to quiet down now when they get rowdy, I tell them I don’t believe their lies anymore…but sometimes, on a bad day, I can, even for a few minutes, even though I know better, believe what they are saying. So I decided to replace that Bullshit Committee with The Happiness Committee. It’s a committee that I’ve worked to assemble for years, and typically they’re off doing things that fall under self-care, but sometimes I need them in the boardroom upstairs because I need them to drown out the bad guys who are trying to stir up trouble. It always seems like the negative voices are loudest. But, light always beats out dark, if we champion the light. So, how do we give our Happiness Committee megaphones to drown out the bullshit?
1) Start The Day Positive – How we start our day sets the tone for the rest of the day. If we start out in a bad mood or believing the negative chatter, it is really hard to turn the day around. So start the day on a positive note. Maybe leave something you love by your bed, or a quote you can read, or affirmation, so that before your feet hit the floor you’re already in a positive mindset. Not ready to turn on your noggin’ right away, then leave a note for yourself in the bathroom, or by the coffee maker, or maybe even in your car or by your keys, find a way to get yourself thinking positive thoughts before you leave the house or start your day.
2) Focus On The Good – Even on our most challenging of days there is always good if we look for it. Things may not be going the way we want them to, but what are the things you are grateful for? What did go your way? What are you looking forward to? How can you add something good to a seemingly negative day? There is always something, and when you find it, focus on it, and challenge yourself to find more, typically the more we look, the more we find.
3) Laugh – I always say, if you’ve lost your sense of humor, you’ve lost everything. Even after a car accident, I looked for something humorous to lighten the mood. Many times we give things too much weight in our lives, too much power over us, when we crack a joke or find the humor our outlook brightens, even for a moment, but even the act of trying to lighten the mood and looking for the humor in something has gotten you away from focusing on the bad, so, you’ve already won.
4) There’s Always A Lesson – Even when we fail, or things go terribly wrong, we learn from that, typically that’s when we do our best learning, so remember that when things have gone wrong, instead of focusing on the failure, think of it of a win of a different kind, because really you’re still winning, you just learned an important lesson, one you wouldn’t have learned if you won all the time. Look for the lesson, and maybe even say thank you for receiving it.
5) Focus On The Now – When we stay out of the past and stop ourselves from future-surfing, we can stay present and put things in perspective. Many times we can pile on in a situation that may not have gone our way with past experiences and fears about the future, stay present, look at the facts for what they are, and give the situation only the weight it deserves.
6) Surround Yourself With Positive People – Make sure you have a positive posse you can turn to when you’re having trouble finding the positivity yourself. Find that positive person at work, or a friend, family member, neighbor, and reach out to them. Many times just by explaining what you’re upset about will alleviate your feelings of dread and doom. And, who can’t use a little shot of positivity now and then? Make sure you’ve got yourself surrounded with some positive people.
Negative chatter will happen, but what can you do to keep it to a minimum, how can you boost your Happiness Committee and give them a louder voice? As the President of us, it is our job to make sure each committee has it’s proper place, so surround yourself with the committee that is going to work with you to accomplish your goals and yell the loudest when you’re going after your dreams and challenging yourself to be your best you. It’s time to fire the Bullshit Committee and give them the boot!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you listen to the negative chatter in your head? Do believe what it’s telling you? Why? Why do you think it’s telling you the truth? What if you stopped listening to it and replaced it with positive thoughts? What if you worked every day to replace each negative thought with a positive one? What do you think would happen? Do you think you would have a happier life? Do you think it would be easier to go after your hopes and dreams? So why don’t you do it? I challenge you SLAYER to focus on the positive and be grateful for what you have, it may not be everything you want, but you have many things to be grateful for, focus on them and give your Happiness Committee a voice to drown our your fears. SLAY on!
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
