Episode #78
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Extraordinary Life Podcast from the creator of the Extraordinary Life Tribe, Crystal Obregon, the Self-Development Podcast propelling you forward toward your goals using science-backed high performance habits. Reach the next level in your physical and mental health. See new heights in your relationships.
[00:00:18] Gain clarity on your purpose and live your extraordinary life. Welcome, your host writer, speaker and coach, Crystal Obregon.
[00:00:29] Hello, this is Crystal of Crystal Obregon Coaching with Episode Number 78 of the Extraordinary Life Podcast. A few weeks ago I talked about the different kinds of mental clutter, how they can impact your goals and dreams, and what can trigger them.
[00:00:49] Last week I talked about why it's important to let go of the past, and this week I'd like to talk about the power of positive thinking and why [00:01:00] there's a lot more to it than you might think. Positive thinking isn't merely about trying to make you feel happier or providing you with a more optimistic outlook.
[00:01:12] While these two outcomes are byproducts of thinking positively, there are far more benefits that can change your mental clarity and help you achieve greater success in your life. Recent studies have shown that positive thinking is directly linked to your brain's reward system and pleasure stimulus. This means that once your mind feels the pleasure that positive thinking or happiness brings, it's going to reward itself in the hope of receiving more of this type of feeling.
[00:01:47] Positive thinking can have a snowball effect on the brain, and once you start thinking positively, your brain isn't going to want you to stop. Instead, positive thinking [00:02:00] will entice your mind to continue to think this way so that you feel good more often. The manifestations of being able to think more positively about your behavior in regard to your interactions with people you encounter throughout your day
[00:02:16] will also include being more optimistic. From a more scientific perspective, positive thinking has been proven to influence brain growth. Specifically, it's been linked to stimulating the growth of neural connections in the brain. And while these connections do grow, whether you think positively or not, they grow at a faster rate
[00:02:41] if you have a habit of thinking positively. This is important because as you get older and we all are, your brain's ability to develop these connections will inevitably start to slow down. So when you think [00:03:00] positively, it means that your mind will be able to function more efficiently for a more extended period of time, and who doesn't want that?
[00:03:10] Along with being able to motivate the growth of neural connections in your brain, two other benefits that come with positive thinking are related to doing output and analysis. In other words, thinking positively has been linked to bringing the mind the ability to process thoughts more quickly and to being more alert.
[00:03:35] Along those same lines, it has also been linked to being able to solve complex problems in less time, more efficiently. When your thoughts are negative, it can seem like you're only thinking of the poor outcome regarding a particular situation. However, when your thoughts are more positive, you're more likely to be open [00:04:00] to experiencing a variety of results.
[00:04:03] This allows your brain to think of broader scenarios when it comes to finding a solution to your problems. I like to look at it this way. If you're thinking negatively or if you don't think there is or don't believe there is a solution to the problem you're having, this solution could be right in front of you and you won't see it.
[00:04:26] On the other hand, if you believe there is a solution, if you're open to the possibility of a good solution, you'll be open to seeing that solution that inevitably shows up. Another way you can look at positive thinking in regard to decluttering your mind is to recognize, like I've talked about before, that your thoughts lead to action or inaction.
[00:04:54] For those who think positively, they're able to see the world as a better [00:05:00] place where there are more opportunities and where they can accomplish anything they desire. On the other hand, negative thinking often leads people to believe that the world is a place where their current circumstances are the only circumstances that they'll ever realize.
[00:05:19] And so then while the Positive Thinkers use positive thoughts as a platform to take the leap and strive to achieve their dreams, in other words, taking action, those who think negatively will use their negative thoughts to limit what they produce or what they do, the actions they take, which ultimately stops them from growing.
[00:05:44] And it's important to realize that everything is always in flux. You do need to take the time to understand that as a human, you're continually evolving, so to settle and think negatively [00:06:00] when it comes to your personal growth, it's really something that you should avoid. That's why positive thinking is critical because people often become their thoughts.
[00:06:12] They're continually thinking negative thoughts. We all know people that become negative people. Now that you can understand and know why thinking positively is so essential for your success, I'd like to share some tips on how you can become a more positive person. Some people do seem to be born with a greater sense of positivity, but that doesn't mean that it isn't something that you can learn yourself.
[00:06:44] The first and super important thing that you need to understand is that people who are optimistic aren't always positive, and I know this can be confusing because they seem to be the same thing. Positive thinkers [00:07:00] typically see both the good and bad in any given situation, and then they choose to focus on the good instead of the bad.
[00:07:08] Ignoring the bad completely can be detrimental to your health and mental clarity. There's a difference between someone who's blindly optimistic to the point of harm, and someone who's realistic about what could go wrong and what could go right. Finding this kind of balance is important, especially if you have a tendency to have more negative thoughts than positive. Rather than going all out and trying to be as optimistic as possible,
[00:07:40] it's better to learn how to recognize the good and the bad of a situation before you consciously turn your focus on the positive aspects of the situation at hand. When you can discern the difference between being blindly optimistic and being realistic, [00:08:00] you can then start looking at ways to become more positive.
[00:08:05] So the first way is to volunteer. You can volunteer your time in various ways, depending on your interests, and it's a good way to get out of your own head and focus on others and how you can help them. Of course, volunteering benefits the receiver, otherwise we wouldn't do it. But there are multiple benefits for the giver, too.
[00:08:28] Some of these include increased connection, improving your mood, and a reduction in stress and anxiety. So if you're ever feeling like you can't get out of a negative thinking cycle, find a way to get out in your community to volunteer. And usually there are organizations in your community that will help point you to volunteer opportunities.
[00:08:56] The next way to increase your positive thinking [00:09:00] is, of course, my favorite, and that's simply to write down what you're grateful for. Either when you get up in the morning or before you go to bed, or both, if you're an overachiever, spend some time writing down everything you're grateful for in your life.
[00:09:17] When you do this, try to only think about the current day, if you're doing it at night or the previous day, if you choose to do the exercise in the morning. This will help you to train your brain to think more about the actual details, the positive details in your life rather than the negative, and will likely help you to see that your life has many amazing aspects and that muscle will grow over time.
[00:09:48] You'll know that you're going to write it down either in the morning or in the evening, and so you'll start to make sure that you look for things so that you'll have something to write down, and before [00:10:00] you know it, you'll have more and more things.
[00:10:04] So the next great way to shift your mindset from negative to positive is simply to be kinder to the people around you.
[00:10:13] When you're trying to be more positive, it's essential to create an environment where you're kinder to the people in your life, whether it's the people that live with you, whether it's your coworkers, your friend groups, or even the person that checks you out at the grocery store. Not only does this allow you to see your world from a different perspective,
[00:10:40] but you'll also start to reconsider how you live your life on a daily basis. Learning how to think positively, won't just decrease your mental clutter and give you more clarity, but it can also help you improve your health, your happiness, and your relationships [00:11:00] so that you can enjoy more holistic success.
[00:11:03] And that's why I decided to go through the particular life coach certification to become a Certified High Performance Coach because of that holistic nature of the program. Because improving one area of your life impacts the other areas and vice versa. You can't be super successful in your work and completely ignore your family and your relationships and have a successful life.
[00:11:35] Next week I'm going to be talking about how to improve your focus, along with learning how to think positively. Another way you can limit the amount of mental clutter in your head and regain control of your mind is by improving your focus. There are a number of external factors that can lead you to lack focus.
[00:11:57] I'll be sharing some ways to help you [00:12:00] focus better and more consistently. That is it for now. Have a great rest of your day and I will see you in here next week. Bye for now. Thank you for listening to the Extraordinary Life Podcast with writer and coach, Crystal Obregon. We'd love to connect with you outside of the podcast too.
[00:12:21] To find more helpful insights, show notes, and more about Crystal, go to Crystal Obregon.com. That's O B R E G O N, where you'll also find info for the Design Your Decade workshop. This workshop will help you to stop drifting and start creating. Until next time, be extraordinary.
