Josh Hinds - Syndicated columnist - Writer - Author - New Media Publisher :o)
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| Josh Hinds' Motivational & Inspirational Journal Josh Hinds - Syndicated columnist - Writer - Author - New Media Publisher :o) |
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Tuesday, August 20, 2002 Force positive thoughts by Josh Hinds If you had a choice between being happy or not, which one would it be? I am sure you are saying to yourself "Josh, that sure is a silly question". I do however think it is a valid one, so I hope you will take a second to give it some serious thought. If I had to guess I would say the answer is to be happy (in the remote possibility that I am wrong I do hope you will humor me on this). Here is where I am going to run the chance of meeting with some disagreement. You see, I do believe that within reason, we have the ability to choose happiness. I am certainly not going to say that if it takes you being a millionaire to make you happy that it is necessarily going to happen for you (of course that is a whole other topic all together). What I am talking about here is the overall approach we take to our day, week, month, year and life. You see, much in the same way that one negative thought or event might have a snowballing effect on our day, which might leave us with an overall feeling that today was a "bad day" -- so can positive things happen (daily successes) to us, then before we know it we look back and say, "this sure was a great day!" In most cases it is not hard to see that it is a matter of a few tiny events that leave us feeling positive or negative. Below I'll share a few ideas to ensure that you find yourself more on the positive side. Here are a few tips that I use to "force the positives" in my life. They work for me and I feel confident that if you implement them in your life you will have equal or better results. Besides even in a worst-case scenario if it does not work for you at least you will have tried right? First off, I keep several books near my bed (sometimes I have so many books going I forget what to read next) The books I choose to read are motivational, inspirational or positive in general. I do not have a whole lot of disposable time so when I do I like to know that I am doing something that will advance me in some way. In short, I'm a life long learner. When I am in the car I tend to listen more to self-improvement tapes then I do music on the radio. It is not that I don't enjoy music, rather it is a simple choice to use this down time of riding to learn something that I can benefit from later. Basically I am making the choice, and for me I would rather learn a new skill then know what is the latest hit on the radio. Another thing that I do that is a big help for me is to stay in contact with people that are positive (my mentors). When I feel that I need a little boost I send off a quick e-mail or just drop by for a quick visit. While these ideas You see my friend; these are not great insights, rather just simple steps that we can take to boost our positivity level. However, I have found them to be extremely helpful in my quest to "choose happiness". I hope the ideas above are useful. Remember, self-improvement is hands on so don't simply discount the ideas without trying to apply one or all of them. You just might find something that works. Perhaps you have techniques that are effective. I'd love to have you share them with me, simply drop me an e-mail. Have a success filled day... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Tuesday, August 13, 2002 Give them a leg up The other day as I was heading to an appointment, while listening to a tape by Jim Rohn (surely you have a library on wheels too, right?). All of the sudden he said something that I found particularly interesting and I knew that it was something that I simply had to share here. He said that on average, by the time a child gets to his first day of first grade they have heard the word "No" some 40,000 times. On the flip side of the coin, is that in most cases they have only heard the word "yes" (or some form of it) around 5,000 times. As I was hearing this is I could not help but think how much of an advantage our future generations would have if we put ourselves on a mission to find the good that they do. We do this all the time with others right? Now obviously we can't do a thing in the world about the "no's" as they are needed to teach the children right from wrong. However, what if we made the number of "yes's" we dish out to our youth far exceed the "no's"? Admittedly if you take on this project (whether with your own child, a neighbor, maybe your students, maybe the kids in your Sunday school or even your nieces or nephews, or siblings) you are going to have to commit to it for the long haul. It is most likely not going to be something where we see immediate results happen over night. I do feel extremely confident that in the long run that the child that is exposed and made aware of the positive things they do is going to be much more prepared to find more personal success in their lives. I hope you will join me in looking for ways to positively impact the future generations. It starts with me and you... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Saturday, August 03, 2002 People Thrive On Appreciation... Look for every chance you get to tell the those around you how much they mean to you -- this seems such a simple task, yet for whatever reason, we are all guilty of this on occasion. I have found that when I make a conscious effort to tell someone how much I appreciate them I am not only making their day a little better, but often I am inadvertently brightening the day of the next person they are going to come into contact with. Now that should be reason enough to give an honest compliment shouldn't it? It really does have an amazing snowballing effect. I won't go as far as to say that everyone will be receptive towards it. Particularly if you are not a person that is typically known for paying compliments. Do not make the mistake of not starting. There is always time to start, and you can not begin to imagine the benefits you will receive from something so simple. Starting right now, take the time to notice those that are important to you, and do not hold back on your compliments. Tell them why they are important to you and continuously be on the lookout for new opportunities to let them know. Not only will you feel a lot better, you will certainly have done your part to make their day that much better as well! I have seen something as simple as a "congratulations on a job well done" propel some of the most unenthusiastic people into super achievers on their jobs. As human beings we have a basic need to be appreciated. Find a way to fill that need and you will put yourself at a distinct advantage in both your personal and professional relationships... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink |
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