One Step at a Time With Positive Thinking

This morning at my exercise class, I was reminded of the power of positive thinking. When it comes to exercising, I am my own worst enemy. My mindset totally affects my performance.

This is something I have been well aware of since I started sports in Jr. high, particularly Track and Field. Back then and throughout high school, I would make myself physically sick due to nervousness. I believe competition is healthy; it pushes us. But, what was making me so nervous wasn't the performance, it was the fear of failing and the fear of the hurt. I didn't have to win the race, but I did want to improve my times or jumps.

By the time I got to college, I wanted to give up Track and Field. I didn't think I could go through another season of pressure, nervousness, and fear. Luckily, the women's coach didn't forget about me and encouraged me to give it another try.

I learned a great thing -- positive self talk and visualization. I think maturity definitely had something to do with my shift, but I looked at my races in a whole new way. They were just races and not the deciding factor of who I was as a person.

You see, I believe I was putting too much focus on my performance identifying who I was as a person. We can never be perfect, but still can be a good person who strives to do their best, to learn from mistakes, and to grow.

So, this morning at exercise class, I found myself saying, "I can get through this set of push-ups. I can do all these squats (even though my legs were screaming). And, I will try to hold this plank as long as my body will allow me!" Do I always achieve everything? No, but I accomplish a lot more than when I focused on the hurt, the hard work ahead of me, and when I let my fears and negative self-talk rule my mind and spirit.

"What does this have to do with organizing, Paula?"

I'm glad you asked! Organizing, like any other challenges you may face, needs a positive outlook. If you tell yourself negative things like, "If you could just get your act together....why can't you be more like.....you are never going to get organized.....this is going to be too much work" you won't.

But, what if you changed your approach? What if you told yourself positive things throughout the process? It might sound something like this: "I am going to get this office organized....it will be a system that works for me and my family...I can do it one step at a time....I will try again tomorrow."

Just try it and then try it again and again. See if it opens new doors for you. It sure has for me!

Where I went to college: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Where I take those awesome exercise classes: Rock Lake Activity Center, Lake Mills