Amid COVID-19, we have all faced moments of uncertainty and negativity. Will life ever be back to normal? Will I finally be able to go back to work again? Will my kids ever go back to school? The world is experiencing something we have never seen before, and it truly is nerve-wracking. However, these negative thoughts are, to be frank, draining.
As deserving as we all are to wallow in negativity, taking a moment to embrace positivity will not only improve your mood, but also put you on a pathway to greater success and happiness.
Having a positive outlook is more than just wishful thinking, in fact, it is scientifically proven that having a positive mindset can improve your health, reduce anxiety, and enable positive actions that can lead to positive circumstances and results. But how?
Consider this scenario: you are in the running for an amazing position at the company of your dreams. You are a bit nervous and feel underqualified for the job, yet somehow were offered an interview. In the days leading up to the interview, you consider all the reasons why the other applicants will be better than you and analyze all your shortcomings. When the day of the interview arrives, you walk into the building with the assumption that you won’t be what they are looking for and are just wasting their time. Throughout the interview, your answers appear uncertain and apologetic, even though the interviewer made it clear that a great candidate could be trained and didn’t necessarily need all the qualifications listed on the job posting. A week later, you receive an email stating that the company chose to go with another candidate.
Is it not obvious why the candidate had no chance at winning over the interviewer? Because they walked in having already decided that they were going to fail. They thought negatively about the entire experience, and it came to fruition during their conversation with the interviewer. They created the mindset that led to the results. Had the candidate chosen to walk into the interview with a positive mindset and given confident answers to each question, they very well could have received the job offer.
Taking a few minutes to think through the potential positive outcomes of upcoming situations will not only calm nerves and reduce negativity, but also put you in the mindset that a great result is possible. And in effect, that positive mindset will snowball into a positive attitude, then positive behaviors, then positive actions, and guess what: positive results.
