Gratitude | noun | a feeling of appreciation or thanks

Be grateful for our blessings:

This is step 1. Besides being in a good mood, being grateful is one of the best next steps to keep you positive. The moment you start to feel overwhelmed, anxiety, or nervousness, just stop and think about what you’re grateful for. It could be as simple as the fact that you have the eyes to read this note. Maybe it’s the fact that you get to eat a meal today.

Sometimes when I start to feel a little off, I stop and take a moment to refocus on all of the good things in my life. Right in the middle of the day. This can take as little as 15 seconds. Try it. If you get frustrated today, take a deep breath and find 3 things that you’re grateful for. This is a tactic that easily separates the optimist from the pessimist.

There is no denying it. You will feel frustrated and out of sync every once in a while. The question is whether or not you look at your obstacle as Mt. Everest or a minor speed bump. What do you choose to focus on?

Gratitude for your challenges

I remember when I first heard of this concept shortly after I graduated high school. I was in my first real sales job and had to learn to take “no” more often than I was used to. A major shift occurred when I finally accepted that every “no” puts me one step closer to my next “yes.”

I remember thinking that I needed to be grateful for my challenges? Hmmm…that was weird. I could tolerate my challenges but being excited about them!? Who are you kidding?

Well, I realized that if you view your challenges a little differently, then my life got a whole lot better. Here are some examples:

• If you hit a rough spot in a relationship, this is an opportunity to make your bond stronger
• If you have financial challenges, you can use this time to become good at budgeting
• If you’re feeling overwhelmed at work, you can improve your organizational skills
• If you have a delayed commute home, you can use the extra time for self-improvement!

I’m always reminded of a teaching from the famous philosopher Morgan Freeman as God in Evan Almighty.

“If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous?”

These are the moments that help you become a newer version of the person that you were yesterday. It’s up to you to decide if that new version is better.

#AlwaysPoz

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So the original title of this post was going to be called, Because nobody likes a R.B.F but having a profane word in the title doesn’t really go with the #AlwaysPoz brand. Not sure what that acronym means? That’s okay – just let it go. Either way, you get it, this post is all about “turning that frown upside down.”

I remember as a college kid in sales, I used to knock on doors and as I would get ready for an in-home presentation I had to make sure I had my game face on. I used to try this little trick before I knocked on the door and I still use it today. This #AlwaysPoz move can make the worst days brighter and will immediately put you in a positive frame of mind.

All you have to do is….SMILE.

That’s it???

Well, sort of. This is not just your ordinary Leonardo Dicaprio smooth-as-butta-smile.

This is the CHEESIEST, BIGGEST, RIDICULOUS, TEETH-SHOWING SMILE you have ever done.

Here’s how it works: turn your head to the side. Okay now on the count of 3, you have to [almost violently] fling your face to the front (imagine you have long girly hair and you’re flicking it to the back). You should now be wearing the MOST CRAZY, GUM-SHOWING, GOOFY LOOKING SMILE EVER!

Does this feel absurd? Abso-freaking-lutely. Will you laugh out loud at yourself when you do this? Probably. I used to literally look around the street to make sure nobody was around to watch my antics. Now, I just turn my head to the side to see if anyone is around and when I look forward, I got the all-whites showin’.

Okay – now I want you to try this.

Right now.

For serious.

The likelihood of some hot babe or a handsome dude staring at you long enough to judge you right now is slim to none (not that I don’t think you’re beautiful). I’m just saying, who cares what someone thinks right now.

One the count of 3, just try the Always Poz smile.

Ready???

1…….2…….3!!!!

SMILE!!

There you go : ) I hope you did it so big that you feel ridiculous. To the point that you have to laugh at yourself.

I told you, this isn’t rocket science. I’m just reminding you about little tips here and there that will hopefully make a positive impact on your daily life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I will be posting bi-weekly going forward so feel free to check back every other Monday morning. I want to help you start each week on the right foot.

#AlwaysPoz

*Want to know what Always Poz is about? Check it out here: What is Always Poz?

I think you’d agree with me that one bad move in the morning can ruin an entire day. It’s like a snowball. If you stub your toe when you roll out of bed, the rest of the day seems to go downhill. You run into traffic, you’re late to work, you forgot to plan for an important meeting. We’ve all picked up the wrong kind of momentum before.

Okay – let’s reverse this tragic accident. Begin each day on a high note. Start with something positive. When life hasn’t gone as planned, I try this one little #AlwaysPoz ninja karate move and boom. Game over. Me: 1 Negativity: 0

You ready? It’s simple:

“Start each day with a hearty laugh” – Dale Carnegie

I remember watching a video of Carnegie sharing this and I began to think, why not? I’ve always been in sales and since selling isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, sometimes you just need a good pick-me-up.

Now, thinking of your best knock-knock joke will only last so long. Hilarious Youtube baby laughing videos become harder and harder to search. So here’s an action item for you: Download Pandora, type in your favorite comedian and create a radio station.

Listen to this on your commute to work and do your best to actually laugh! When I walk down the street with my headphones in, people probably think I’m goofy but I’m willing to bet I have made people smile without even knowing it.

That’s it. One little simple tip that I hope brightens your day!

#AlwaysPoz