Positive Mindset & Emotional Intelligence – linking the two for our benefit

6 Key Elements for a more Positive Mindset

1. Positive affirmations

Start your day with some positive affirmations. Talk to yourself internally (in your mind) or out loud in front of a mirror. Use positive statements such as “Today is going to be a good day because………” or “I’m going to achieve my goals today and this is how I will do it.” As a result, you will be really surprised how much your day improves. What positive affirmations do you use?

2. Focus on only the good stuff

It’s quite usual to meet obstacles or hurdles and it’s rare to have a perfect day. When you meet a challenge, look at the benefits, no matter how slight or unimportant they seem. If you find yourself slipping back into negative territory, just pause for a moment and focus on the positives. You will feel the negative aspects slip away.

3. Learn from failures

Nobody is perfect. We are going to make mistakes and experience failure throughout our lives, but the key is in how we deal with these situations. Instead of focusing on how you failed, think about what you’re going to do differently next time. Use each mistake as a learning curve. Try not to look at the mistake, rather on what you will do next time in a different way, to make things right. It’s a positive learning curve.

4. Transform negative speak into positive speak

Negative speak can creep in easily and is often hard to notice. You might think “I’m really bad at this” or “I shouldn’t have tried that”. When you catch yourself doing this, stop and replace those negative messages with positive ones. What do you need to do in order to move into positive speak?

5. Focus on the here and now

We are talking about the present, the here and now. Only this exact moment in time. This is known as Mindfulness and is a very powerful tool. Most thoughts of negativity stem from a trigger of a recent event or our imagination running wild towards a future event. Try to stay in the present moment, don’t go back to the past or look into the future for problems. When you are aware of this state of mind, give yourself an example of your focus.

6. Find positive friends, inspiring coaches and mentors

What happens when you surround yourself with positive people? You will experience positive messages and outlooks, positive stories and positive affirmations. Everyone’s positivity will impact on you and affect your own thought process. Try not to surround yourself with negative people as this will work against you. Who are the positive people that you turn to? They are the people who bring you to life, those who you can learn from and be comfortable around.

There are four recognised domains of emotional intelligence and these are:

 1. Self-awareness

Self-awareness is how we understand our emotions. It enables us to recognise our strengths and limitations.

It also helps us to maintain a healthy level of confidence about how we feel about ourselves.

2.Self-management

Self-management is how we control our emotions and act in a reliable and honest way. Without being aware of what we are feeling, it is impossible to fully understand our own behaviour.

 3. Social awareness

Socially aware people don’t just detect other people’s emotions, they interact and communicate with them to demonstrate that they care. They understand how their words and actions make others feel.

4. Relationship management

Relationship Management is the skill of handling other people’s emotions. Successful relationship managers can communicate clearly, resolve conflicts and build strong personal bonds with others.

Here are some great examples of emotional intelligence.

– Active listening with someone who needs your help.

– People really listening to each other properly and using appropriate body language (both verbal and non-verbal).

– Allowing people to talk openly and freely, without the fear of unnecessary interruption.

– Being flexible and accommodating others thoughts and wishes. Finding a win-win outcome.

– Allowing people to be creative, letting the ideas flow freely.