I recently read that the rate of suicide has gone up by 50% in the past 10 years, with a sharp increase in teenage suicides.
This alarming statistic has kept me awake at night as I try to work out how and why we have been so poor at injecting positive thinking into our education system, work culture and society at large.
More importantly, how can we nurture our powerful social media channels to ensure they have a positive impact?
It’s easy to point the finger of blame on the wizardry of technology and its harsh side effects – after all, we are now monitoring other people’s lives constantly.
Take Facebook, which now has 2.19 billion monthly active users. 70% of users say they use Facebook daily, including 45% who do so several times a day. Another amazing Facebook statistic shows that 50% of 18-24-year-old users log in as soon as they wake up.
As a
We have become hyper-dependent on feedback and the numbers of likes we get on our posts, images and photos.
We feel a constant sense of battling against the perceived shortcomings of our lives and we certainly worry about the lack of solutions offered to resolve the BIG problems that affect us.
Wouldn’t it be better if we could spend more time and energy focusing on the solutions going forward? In a hyper-connected, hyper-aware,
Social media channels have made it so much easier to start campaigns, to shout our views out loud, to disrupt and promote change – this fills me with optimism for the future.
However a dark cloud still lurks above our heads – the responsibility lies with us as leaders, as parents and as educators. It’s up to us to prioritise the power of positive thinking. I certainly was never taught this at school.
Here are some of the basics for developing a positive mindset:
1. Foster a positive attitude
An optimistic outlook is a mental state that can be developed by practising it as a daily habit. It’s about expecting the best to happen and not letting negative thoughts and doubts smash your positive beliefs. We can train our brain to think positively in the same way as we can train our body to run faster.
2. Encourage active experimentation
In a fast-paced, dynamic world where change happens rapidly, it is useful to focus on action and try out possible solutions. It is better to try, fail and learn than not to try at all.
3. Promote creative thinking
Don’t be afraid to look at new ways of doing things, innovating and injecting fun and play into your work.
4. Nurture your innate motivation
This is about tapping into your energy and paying attention to what excites you and what you care about most.
5. Keep the end goal in mind to feed your inner resilience
Welcome knock-backs as part and parcel of the lessons on the path to winning.
How do you keep positive? I’d love to hear your motivations and thoughts on this issue.
Does your positive mindset need a boost? If you would like to work with me on nurturing your positive mindset, book your FREE 30-minute discovery call today.