Happy 2024
Let’s make this new year the Year of Positivity!
We all want to feel happy and positive in our daily lives and interactions with others. You’ve felt it. You’re in a group of people, and somebody walks in with great energy and your mood is affected by it. You may even wonder what they are doing to remain so positive and have such positive energy. How do they maintain that up beat energy? According to Irnia Yugay (https://blog.mindvalley.com/positive-energy) we can all find our own positive energy to share with others and enrich our lives. For today’s message, I chose four of the 10 items she talks about and relate them to the work you do in Job Corps.
Your attitude determines your altitude
Most of us have heard that expression. The way we perceive ourselves and the world around us has an enormous impact on our experiences. We need to create an “alternate perspective” if we believe our attitude is negative and is impacting ourselves and others in a harmful way. Irnia states, “Scientists reveal that positive thinking is much more than just being happy and having a positive attitude. Positive thoughts create real value in your life and help you shape your reality, heal you from within, and build incredible skills that will propel you towards your bigger goals.” To ensure you start the new year with positivity, I suggest you follow the guidelines below:
Be aware of your negative thoughts and emotions
Negative emotions and thoughts actually have an impact on our brain and our ability to be positive. When we are negative and fearful, we tend to shut down. Irina states that it is not about avoiding feeling fear or anger or thinking negative thoughts, it’s how you respond. Once you realize you are having a negative thought (which you can catch by tuning in to your emotions) it is helpful to do the following:
Stop thinking about the negative thought if there’s nothing you can do to improve it.
Do not talk about the negative thought any more than you absolutely have to. Don’t give it energy!
Try to find something good that results from this negative thought. This takes some practice, but, speaking from experience, it can be done.
Reframe your thoughts when you speak about your problems, illnesses, or worries
We all need to speak about what concerns us, but how we address our concerns has an impact on our positively. What you focus on expands. The more energy you give to problems, illnesses, or worries the bigger they become. It may be more useful to put your energy into addressing solutions. For example
If you are ill, you may focus on what you are doing to get better and how much better you are feeling each day.
If you have a problem, you may want to speak with your Center Director about the possible solutions and address it from the standpoint of what is best for the students,
Meditate
Meditation is a practice that quiets the minds. It is the act of focusing on a sound, object or visualization. It can enhance personal and spiritual growth and reduce stress. Research reveals that people who meditate daily display more positive emotions than those who do not. Meditation practice helps you cultivate presence at the moment. When you withdraw yourself from the outside world, you tap into the essence of the present moment. Being fully in the present moment, you quiet your mind and decrease feelings of negativity, fear, and anxiety. Mediation helps you become your best you and increases your ability to engage in positive interactions.
Avoid gossip
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Job Corps centers can be a hotbed of gossip. Gossip is unethical and toxic, and it instantly brings you to a negative place. Irina states that gossip tends to involve judging and criticizing others which projects negative energy and brings you down. In order to eliminate gossip from your life, choose positive friends and colleagues and intentionally begin your conversations from a positive stance. When others on center are gossiping, remind them of the Year of Positivity in a loving and compassionate way and remove yourself from the conversation. When you learn to do this, you become a great role model and leader for other staff and our students.
Let’s make 2024 the Year of Positivity!
I wish you joy, peace, and fulfillment. Please know you are appreciated and make it your goal to appreciate others.