Hey April, nice to hear from you! This is very true. Let’s keep reinforcing the positive self-talk and thoughts. It takes a lot of practice.

Cheers

I’ve just stumbled across your blog and I think it’s great. I am very dedicated to my health and wellbeing even with a 5 and 7 year old at home, working a full time job and being a single parent for half the year when my husband goes away to work. I just wanted to let you know your post about negativity really struck home with me. Often times I catch myself having these self defeating thoughts rolling around in my brain, sometimes without really knowing they are there. It seems to be much easier to put ourselves down than to build ourselves up. One thing I’ve found that helps is when I don’t reach a PR I wanted, or I don’t run as far or as fast as I would have liked, I remind myself at the end of the day I’m still a better person mentally and physically for it. Had I just decided to be a couch potatoe that day not get up and train, I’d have accomplished nothing. Anyway, just wanted to chime in on the discussion. Keep up the great work! p.s I’m a HUGE kettlebell fan. I started training with them 3 years ago and have never looked back! So glad that you incorporate them into your workouts.

Cheers!

April from Prince Edward Island, Canada

Oh yes, you can add me 🙂 And I’d love to do a guest post for you. Just let me know.

Cheers!

Thanks so much Marianne! My website has been up since last fall but it is definitely a work in progress. I am trying to blog more and more as well. Just want to share my experiences in hopes that it can inspire someone else. I am just a normal work from home mom who has the same issues and struggles as everyone else.

But with my experience as a massage therapist I have seen the cumulative effects of stress and poorly managed health. So it is my mission to help people manage their stress and their lives naturally, through healthy living.

I just added your site to my list of resources too, hope that’s ok? Maybe I can convince you to come do a guest blog for me sometime 😉

And get to that gratitude journal! It will change your life!

Lesley

If you think you are beaten , you are. If you think you dare not , you don’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost. If you’d like to win but think you can’t then it’s almost certain you won’t. For over the years you’ll find success begins with a persons will it’s all in the state of mind.

Gillian, I don’t think you could ever be guilty of sounding high and mighty. I always find your comments full of wisdom in a grounded, supportive and humble way.

Oh, and I ALWAYS wanted a tail too! LOL 😀 Seriously, when I was a child/early teen, my little sister and I used to imagine we were animals or humans with wings, tails and animal-like stealth haha! But I always had a tail 😉

Thank you for your comments. I always enjoy reading them.

Wow, that makes me sound so high and mighty! That is not what I intended!

I made choices in my life that limited my career, but substantially reduced my overall stress. Everyone’s personal situation is different, so your job, your co-workers, your commute, your home, your family life, your relationships… all contribute to stress and potential negativity. Some of those you can change, others you cannot.

If you are stuck in a stressful situation that you know does bad things to your head, you have to find some way to diffuse it. That may mean facing the situation and trying to change it, or it may mean accepting it and using meditation or some other method to give it less power over you.

I’ve noticed many people who start an exercise regimen complaining about the lack of support and even overt negativity from family and friends. That is a prime example of other people trying to push their negative thoughts onto you. Don’t accept it – they are scared and they don’t want you to change and improve over them, so they try hold you back. Keep at your goals, and ignore them. While you can’t change your family, you can change your friends and hang out with people who are more supportive of your goals.

If that person sending negative messages is you, then you need to have a talk with yourself and find out why you are trying to sabotage yourself. Subliminal or self-hypnosis tapes may help with this. I’ve found that I’ve had move negative self-talk when I’ve had more free time. When I’ve been busy, I don’t have the time to waste negating what I am pursuing. I don’t doubt my abilities when I am in a dangerous or imperative situation: I just do what I must to get through it. Its only later that I might question myself.

I think that is why writing goals and putting things on a schedule helps: you can break down the steps and hold yourself accountable to them.

~ Gillian

No matter what my health or financial situation, I always remember that someone else has it worse than me, so I really don’t have much to complain about. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have when I have it… and I’ve had to learn that the hard way a couple of times. I’ve learned that who my friends are, says a lot about me, so my friends have changed over the years. I’ve learned what bothers me and I avoid those things, like gruesome movies. I try to treat others as I would like to be treated, as I never know which stranger might come back into my life and affect it. I know I have a limited time and I don’t want to waste it on frivolous and unproductive things, so I mostly try to do my best all of the time. Its tiring, but I go to bed happy.

Sure, I don’t stick to this perfectly, but everyday I wake up afresh with bright eyes and a bushy tail (well, I always wanted a tail.) I know I filter the world through the glasses of my choosing, so better something rosy, than something grey.

And then, as my parents and some friends died, I got to wondering what people would remember of me when I was gone. No, its unlikely I am every going to do anything BIG, like say Steve Jobs, but I can still do something good and have people remember me fondly.

All those ideas swirl in my head and guide me most of the time. And so I am usually pretty calm and centered. Hard exercise helps too!

So on those rare occasions that I do obsess, I allow myself a little indulgence, but then I look at how I can do it better. For instance, I’ve always felt that everyone can be happy and successful if they work at it, but it does piss me off to see success at the expense of others. After a little grumbling, my answer is to work harder still, as honest successes the best revenge!

~ Gillian

Much gratitude for your compliments Bret 🙂 I am glad you liked it!

I’m really impressed with Matt Moran’s comment – the AIM thing seems like the best place to start. Good stuff! BC