Choose to see good instead of bad
I heard a great message this weekend about guarding our hearts and minds. If you are a Christian this is not a new concept for you since God instructs us to guard our hearts above all else. However, the concept applies regardless of your spiritual beliefs because we reflect what we take in. Our perspective is a choice and we can increase our happiness choose to see good by blocking negative influences.
In this age of constant news feeds, social media streams and fear tactics it is easy to get overwhelmed by negativity. It seems every day there is a new story of something shocking that fills us with fear or dread. Often the reports of bad news gain more attention and seem to control the headlines. Yet we know that this isn’t the only news out there. Studies have been conducted to see if people have a “negativity bias” and even choose stories with a negative tone. Although many people state that they would prefer to hear good news, they are often drawn to the bad.
How to change your perspective by blocking negative influences
We feed our minds every day. We choose what we let in by our music choices, media choices, friendships, thoughts and worries. These choices then have the power to change our perspective and direct our hearts. For example, a 20 minute car ride to work can be filled with morning news and angry music lyrics or it can be filled with uplifting music, an encouraging podcast or an audio book that inspires you. In the same way, time on our phones can be spent scrolling through negative rants and disparaging comments or it can be spent viewing people doing good things and providing a positive example. We make a choice each and every day about what we focus on.
Negative influences to our mind don’t just come from external sources, but can also come from ourselves. How many times have you felt good about yourself and what you are doing until you compared yourself to someone else? How often have you been happy with what you see in the mirror until you remember an unkind word that was said about you? If we block this negative self-talk and comparison to others, we can gain confidence and see, instead, the good in ourselves. Our point of view is our choice.
I’m not suggesting that we should ignore all news that isn’t positive. As things happen around us it is good to be aware so we can place concern in the right place. We have an obligation to show empathy and acknowledge the difficulties that others endure. However, what often happens is that we get off balance. If we truly want to see the good in each day then we might need to balance our choices and block some of the negativity around us.
Blocking negative influences changes our point of view
When we change our perspective and correct the balance of what we see, some pretty great things can happen. Our anxiety levels begin to go down. We decrease our feelings of helplessness and fear. Our self-confidence and joy increase. Even our outlook for the future changes when we choose to see the good and block the negativity.
There are good things happening all around us. There are beautiful scenes to see, uplifting music to hear, heartwarming stories of love and courage, people who are serving and showing kindness and so much good within ourselves. Take action to change your perspective and unlock the power of positivity. Guard your heart against and unbalance of negativity in your life and you will find a new perspective of happiness.
Challenge for this week:
- Examine your social media. Are you filling your mind with negative people, things and videos? If so, cut back on some of these negative influences and search for more positive influences.
- Examine your music choices. Music is powerful and can influence our minds in a big way. Choose music that encourages, uplifts and bring you joy.
- Examine your thoughts. Are you consumed by fear, worry and negative thoughts? If so, this might be a sign that you need to change your external influences as well as your self-talk.
- Examine your connections. Are you surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, show kindness and influence you in a positive way? If not, how can you distance yourself from your current circle and connect with people who help show you good?