Successful people use these tips to maintain perspective.
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You may be sick of people saying to stay positive. Being positive may not always be realistic. But being positive is about maintaining perspective. Being positive is about seeing the reality of the situation and not some biased version of the truth.
People are hard on themselves, sometimes catastrophizing. You think that you performed terribly or that the worst-case scenario is going to happen. When this, in fact and most likely, is not the case.
Successful professionals see reality. They maintain perspective and try to stay positive. Here are three ways to help you maintain perspective and stay positive:
1. See the forest, not the trees.
When something does not go your way, you focus on the thing that went wrong. You focus on the sentence you wish you had said differently in the 10 minute speech you delivered. You ruminate on the not so stellar feedback you received on a draft slide deck for a business pitch.
An element of a process or project, most likely, will not derail your career. Think of the bigger picture. Remember the context in which you work.
2. Smile.
When you feel like you have made a mistake, you may feel down. You may feel that it is hard to be happy and smile.
Try to smile. Research shows that smiling helps generate positive emotions and decreases stress-induced hormones that can negatively impact your health. Either make an effort to smile, or put yourself in social situations where smiling occurs. Smile to remind yourself that things are okay. Smile to remember to keep your life in perspective.
3. Don’t dwell on what is out of your control.
Learn from your mistake or unpleasant situation, and try to move on. There is only so much (if anything) you can do to correct what happened in the past. Focusing on that past mishap can undermine your current focus and productivity. Don’t compound that mistake by dwelling on the past, losing focus and making another mistake. Maintain your efficiency and effectiveness by learning from the past and moving on.
Being positive can sometimes be difficult. But maintaining perspective is critical to moving forward with clarity, confidence and focus. See the forest, smile and don’t dwell on the past.
What helps you maintain perspective and remain positive? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.
