Sharing Tips to Be Positive
by Alexia Michiels
During the week of March 23rd 2009 the International Coach Academy held a “Positivity Week” and invited ICA students and friends to share positive thoughts and stories. The idea was to counterbalance the negative energy surrounding the global crisis and by creating positive energy, take the first steps to regain power!
To continue surfing on this empowering wave of positivity, I am sharing some tips shared by those who joined the first teleseminar of that week “Sharing Positive Tips and Stories About Yourself”.
Alexia recently joined International Coach Academy as a trainer. ICA is a lead provider of coach training in the world, accredited by the International Coach Federation. For more info, visit the website www.icoachacademy.com.
Select the tips that resonate with you and enjoy being positive!!!
- Spine twist to release physical tension - Sitting comfortably, relaxing the shoulders, feet on the floor… Place your right hand behind your back at the base of your spine, place your left hand on your right knee. Inhale, lengthen your spine……exhale, twist to the right and repeat….. Repeat on the other side.
- Breathing - Take a break to center yourself. Focussing on your breath, be fully present “here and now” - even for just a few minutes or a few breathes. Extra tip - smile when breathing.
- Gratitude attitude - Every day, be thankful for what is beautiful in your life.
- An acknowledgment journal - Cultivate an acknowledgement attitude towards yourself!! Every day, write down a few things that you want to acknowledgement yourself for. When you need a boost, take a break and go through your acknowledgement journal.
- Read an inspiring book before sleeping - Fill your mind with inspiring and peaceful thoughts before ending your day.
- Positive reinforcement looking at yourself - Look at yourself in the mirror and say aloud “I deserve to be happy!”. It sets the tone for the day and helps to spend good nights!!
- Smiling at myself - When you feel grumpy or angry, force a smile - physically - ad observe how it often chases away the negative energy.
- Yin & Yang - Always look for the positive - even when, at first sight, it seems challenging. Even when things appear very bad, there is a positive perspective to adopt. The point is not to ignore the negative side of an event but recognize that there is also a positive side to it.
- My favourite song - Put on your favourite song and sing it aloud.
- Build beautiful memories - Write down your kids’ words and make photo albums with memories that will keep you warm and happy when you need it most.
- No bad day - just different - When things are a bit challenging, remember that “there is no bad day”. Some days are just a bit “different”.
- How fascinating! - When things are not happening as per your plan or when you’ve got a challenging situation to face, take a “helicopter” view - observe with some distance and say aloud “How fascinating!!” Give it a try and you may very well experience an “IRIS”, an Immediate Release of Intense Stress!
- Be a good gardener - Consider your mind as a precious garden! Like a gardener takes care of the flowers and removes the “bad” grass, cultivate positive ideas and chase your negative thoughts away.