A lot of people think about what other people have compared to what they think they don't have. But it isn’t really what those people have that makes them special. And it’s not some fancy talent you think they were born with. It’s their work ethic because people don’t develop skills overnight, no matter what you think.
For example, pro athletes practice all the time, over and over. They need to be able to do a play in any condition.
Think about it. The Green Bay Packers can play in warm weather at the beginning of the season and then white-out snow conditions toward the end. They don’t want to be questioning how to run a play, dealing with the Bears'
defensive linemen and the weather. If they practice over and over they know how to run the play by heart and have brain power to deal with a defensive lineman coming, and completely forget that it is -20 below, and they would like a hot cocoa.
Now, you may be wondering my point in all of this football nonsense.
My point is practice.
Now you’re screaming, “Mrs. Tea, you’re not on mental health. You can’t possibly tie football players to my need to improve my positive thinking.”
Oh, you, doubting Gus. I am going to do that.
When I talked about gratitude and success lists, I mentioned doing them regularly. That is because things like gratitude are a practice. Meaning, if you do them over and over they become easier, but also they have more of an impact.
I personally have found that by using my gratitude journal, I have learned more and more about a certain thing I am grateful for. In that, I mean, I have fleshed out why I am grateful for things into smaller and smaller bits. For example, my son and I are taking photo safaris and I took a photo of him trying to climb a tree. I zoomed in on his little hand and thought about all the things his hand could do.
In doing this gratitude practice, I have become slower in the sense that I am thinking more before I react, which happened to be a goal of mine. I also took the time to start my health and wellness journey.
It’s eye-opening how practicing a skill helps you develop other skills.
Now you can reread my gratitude jotting or my success list one, or create some other great positive practice. Then journal about the changes you see in yourself over time.
You might be surprised at how one positive practice can change everything.
Go now. Be Safe. Know that you are not alone.