WHAT LIFE GLUE DO YOU USE? I was rambling through some old posts (the one that is referenced is from 2013) and it brought me to a new thought expanding from the important spiritual thought of that message to another one. What kind of life glue do you use? Do you read motivational, uplifting material to spark your inner self? Do you meditate? Do you have a great hobby which allows you to bring your talents and gifts to the surface? Do you share your experiences with others? Do you look on the sunny side of life or do you find comfort in the dark? What holds your life together? Let us examine choices in life in this time.
People ask me often, “How do you stay positive?” or “I love to read your messages, they are so upbeat.” That is my life glue, Positivity in all phases of my life. I am not sure where that positive attitude started in my life but I found out if I choose to be positive, I find myself happier and much more accepting of others. First, I had to be positive about myself and accept me. I am “positive” that I am what I am and that’s okay with me.
Being Positive about being Positive….. I found a great article to share with you on Psychology Today and you can read the entire article by clicking on the link below. I have included the 6 steps excerpt.
Source:6 Ways to Become More Positive Today | Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201409/6-ways-become-more-positive-today
Too often the pattern of self-talk we’ve developed is negative. This internal seed of negativity causes a dark ripple that extends to all corners of our daily lives. We walk around with a dark cloud hovering close-by, and view all glasses as half-empty. Our conversations always revert to all that is wrong with the world, and we’re constantly expecting the worst.
This negative approach to life can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Concepts such as the law of attraction, “you reap what you sow,” and “birds of a feather flock together,” speak to the magnetic power of our thoughts. Many studies(link is external) confirm the correlation between positive thinking and success.
So how can we begin to brighten our view of the world, and infuse more positivity into our thought patterns? Although quite simple, these six steps can make a profound impact on your approach to life, and ultimately create a more positive outcome.
- Practice Gratitude.
One of the quickest ways to shift your focus away from negativity, judgment, and disappointment is to list the things in your life for which you are grateful. Be grateful to be gainfully employed, to sleep in a bed each night, for the sun that comes up each morning, for the waiter who greets you with a smile, for the people that love and care for you, and for a body that lets you experience life each day. Practicing gratefulness can cause almost an immediate shift in your perspective. Keeping a daily gratitude journal, even digitally(link is external), can help remind you to keep life’s blessings at the forefront of your mind. Another strategy is to have a gratitude partner—someone who can support you in your journey to positive thinking. Each day, text, email or tell each other three things for which you are grateful. Think of this person as your accountability partner for your path to healthy thinking.
- Two Steps Forward.
Initially, it might be hard to stop the negative flow of thoughts. This shift takes time. Be patient with yourself, and first just try to observe your thought patterns. See if you can catch yourself judging others, focusing on failures, complaining about work, or criticizing yourself or your body. When you observe these thoughts, take a moment to counter each negative thought with two positive observations or gratitudes. Think of it as taking two steps forward after your one step back.
- Positive Posture.
The mind and the body have an intrinsic connection—each has a profound impact on the other(link is external). If you are struggling to move your mind into a more positive perspective, try moving your body there first. Try standing up straight, shoulders back, chin held high, stretching your arms out as wide as they can go. Feel powerful. Feel positive. Carrying yourself with “positive posture” will encourage your mind to feel more positive as well.
- Smile.
Another way for your body to “trick” your mind into being more positive is through smiling. The simple act of smiling, even if you don’t necessarily have anything to smile about, can instantly change the way you feel internally. Whether you are sitting at your desk, driving in your car, or walking down the street, smile. You will be amazed how your mind reacts. Even better, try smiling at a co-worker or stranger you pass in the hallway or on the sidewalk. Did they smile back?
- Ditch the Crabs.
If you put a crab in a bucket, it will easily climb out. But if you put a second crab in the bucket, neither of them will escape. Once one starts to escape, the other will pull it back down into the bucket. In other words, surround yourself with positive people. It’s hard to maintain a positive perspective if you are constantly pulled down by the negativity of friends, family, or co-workers. If you get trapped in a negative conversation, gracefully try to change the subject to something more positive. However, if you are surrounded by a bucketful of negative crabs, it may be time to reevaluate your circle of friends in an effort to be surrounded by uplifting individuals.
- Do Something Kind.
It’s easy to get absorbed by our own world of misfortune and to forget about the people around us. Stepping outside of your daily routine to help someone else can provide amazing perspective and fill you with positivity. Strive to do one nice thing for someone else each day. Call a family member or friend in need of a kind word, compliment a stranger, go out of your way to help a co-worker complete a task, or join the thousands of caffeinated people “paying it forward(link is external)” in the Starbucks line.
Life is not always easy, and sometimes we get handed a bushel of lemons. However, it is our own perspective that ultimately determines if we will drudge through life puckered and sour, or skip along with a glass of sweet lemonade.
Gregory L. Jantz(link is external), PhD is the founder of The Center • A Place of HOPE(link is external) and an internationally recognized best selling author(link is external) of 28 books related to mental wellness and holistic recovery treatment.
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Below the original message from 2013 has a subject to “stick” to your mind and soul. I felt it stuck with me and it might be an additional glue to hold your life together.
TODAY THE WORD is SUPERGLUE. This is such a “sticky” subject but this is what came up this morning. When I was young, there was not superglue available and we used Elmer’s glue and airplane glue, etc. Dr.Harry Wesley Coover first happened upon the super-sticky adhesive — more formally known as cyanoacrylates — by accident when he was experimenting with acrylates for use in clear plastic gun-sights during World War II. He gave up because they stuck to everything they touched. In 1951, a researcher named Fred Joyner, who was working with Dr. Coover at Eastman Kodak’s laboratory in Tennessee glued two expensive lab lenses together and they could not be separated…..SuperGlue was born by destroying an expensive piece of equipment. How many times has superglue come to the rescue in your life? How many things would have gone to the trash if it hadn’t been for the superglue. I can tell you I have even glued two of my fingers together and thought I was maimed for life, forever stuck. Fortunately, I was able to get them apart.
Now for the deeper, stickier thought……..In your life, there have been several times that you felt you were coming apart and would be in broken pieces forever. Your heart may have been shattered in a thousand pieces; your financial world fell into only mounds of pennies; your family may have been torn apart and you may have felt it impossible to put it together again. Trust me, I have felt this way and I even felt that no superglue could mend my life together. Then I got acquainted with the best SuperGlue in the universe….Our God. He started a piece at a time, carefully matching all of the fragile edges, holding it into place until the glue secured and dried (I think of the drying of all of my tears) and I had a few signs of where I had been put back together but I was useable again. It doesn’t matter how badly broken a soul is, God has the strength far superior than “Gorilla” glue and mends us in a way that we actually are chip proof with His Love and Care. Today, if you are broken, try God’s bottle of SuperLove Glue and allow God to mend all of your chips and breakage. You will be better than new; you will be on your way to rebuilding your life in a protected way.
(C) Copyright 2012-2018 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material and or photos are sourced, if known, to original location.
My superglue is love and family.
I agree love and family is the strongest glue for life. Thanks for your comment and enjoy your family.