I recently read an article called “Positive Intelligence” that stated that a positive mind-set has shown to increase productivity, increase creativity, and improve engagement. So, in other words, you do your best with less stress – don’t dwell on the negative. When we dwell on the negative, we get discouraged, or we become depressed and we can think our goals are unattainable. Then we give up or forget about it.
So let’s make this year different. There’s something called neuroplasticity (your $10 word of the day), which means that you can develop new habits. In a sense, desire your brain. That old adage: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, doesn’t apply to us. There’s even research into how neuroplasticity may or may not help with memory loss. So how does this apply to you? The article I mentioned earlier gave a tip to help retrain your brain and get you in the positive kind frame.
Do one of the following brief positive exercises every day for at least 3 weeks:
1. Write down 3 things for which you are grateful.
2. Write a positive message to someone in your social support network – send a message on Facebook, send an email or write an actual note.
3. Meditate at your desk for 2 minutes – without interruption.
4. Exercise for 10 minutes.
5. Take 2 minutes to describe, in a journal, the most meaningful experience of the past 24 hours.
Hopefully, this will help you continue a happy, healthy, positive new year!
David Medina, DC
* Achor, S. (2012) Positive Intelligence, Harvard Business Review. Found online at https://hbr.org/2012/01/positive-intelligence
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