7 Steps to Build –and Keep- a Positive Mindset

The power of a positive mindset –or positive thinking- is a trendy concept, almost a cliché, but not for that any less real. Its mental and physical benefits have been proved and demonstrated by many scientific studies; it can give you more confidence, improve your mood, and reduce the risk of developing hypertension, depression, and other stress-related issues.

So far, so good, but how can we build and maintain such a positive mindset?

Here’s a list of seven steps to take to accomplish that goal:

1. Start your day with positive affirmations. The actions you take in the morning set the tone for the rest of the day; go to the mirror and say to yourself: “today is going to be a great day,” or “I’m going to be awesome today,” and watch in amazement how your day will improve.

2. Keep your focus on the good things. There’s no such thing as a perfect day; whenever you bump into an obstacle, look for the good in that situation, no matter how small.

3. Look for the funny side in bad situations. We’re used to saying, “someday we’re going to look back on this situation, and laugh,” so, why wait? Just by looking at it with a smile, the way out or through the situation will show faster and clearly.

4. Turn failures into lessons. Mistakes are always going to happen, so instead of focusing on the failure, think about what you’re going to do –or not do- next time, and create a roadmap highlighting highways, shortcuts, roadblocks, and bumps.

5. Transform your negative self-talk into a coach. Your negative self-talk usually creeps up unnoticed, and soon it turns into internalized feelings that reinforce your conceptions of yourself. We have to turn our inner critic into an inner coach, so thoughts like “I’m so bad at this” become “once I get more practice, I’ll be great at this.”

6. Focus on the present. We need to live the moment. Most negativity sources come from a memory of a recent event or the exaggerated visualization of a potential future event.

7. Surround yourself with positive people and environment. When we do that, we hear positive outlooks, stories, and affirmations; their positive words and actions will sink in and affect our own line of thinking, words, and actions.

Everyone, no matter the situation, can take these steps and increase their positive attitude.

A positive mindset will always offer compounding returns, so the more often we practice it, the more significant benefits we’ll collect.

Stay strong!

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca, or book a meeting to review your software project.

Simple ways to find your smile every day

Don’t wait to be happy

There are always reasons to be happy. Happy times are coming and going like trains in a train station; sometimes, they are right there right in front of your eyes, waiting for you to shift your focus and notice and appreciate them.

Whatever is going on around you, you can feel happy, be productive, create success, and enjoy yourself; all you have to do is change your focus and the way you think.

Create your happy moments

We all dream of being happy someday, but only when the conditions are right. Until then, we’re overworked, overstressed, and less than pleased. We create a utopian destination out of something that should be part of the journey.

If we don’t train ourselves to feel happy along the way, what makes us think we will feel it when we get there? Happiness is an emotion we can create by setting ourselves up with the right state (mental, emotional, and physical) to build momentum, and when those ‘right conditions’ are met, we’ll be there already.

Get in a happy state

A joyful life is the best kind of life we can hope to achieve. It creates those positive, feel-good vibes and allows us to look to the future with optimism. Bliss and pure joy seem like ephemeral emotions, but we can learn to hold on to it and relish in it and eventually create it at will.

In short, stop worrying so much, appreciate all the small things (and the big things you may be missing out too), surround yourself with positive, loving people, smile more, laugh more, hug more, and love more…

After all, what can be better than that?



Stay strong!

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca, or book a meeting to review your software project.

How to Re-Engage Your Team

Understanding what contributes to employee disengagement can help bridge the communication gap and create more fulfilling and productive workplaces. The success of a business truly does rely on the satisfaction and happiness of the employees. Building a business with trust, understanding, and healthy communication can lead the way to great company culture and better services/products that your business offers. Do you think an unhappy employee will treat a customer or client the same way a happy employee would? Of course not. When employees are unsatisfied and disengaged, your clients are likely to be as well. Learn the signs that will tell you if your employees are at risk of becoming disengaged and check out the solutions on how to fix it.

Foster a Positive Work Culture

Businesses largely depend on leaders to mould the workplace culture into one that is positive and supportive. With fast-paced projects, deadlines, and multiple tasks keeping the mind occupied, it’s too easy for leaders to neglect to foster this positivity, and the office can quickly become a place everyone dreads going to. If your place of work is one that causes too much competition, hostility, or simply has a lack of camaraderie, employees will be less inclined to perform well.

The solution: Connect with your employees regularly. Emphasize the health and wellness of your employees and take time to make genuine connections with each one. Depending on the size of your team, you could do this by creating an online place for you and your team to share tidbits of advice and inspiration. A little goes a long way and putting in this extra effort will encourage a positive vibe for your workplace.

Make the Work Meaningful

Everyone wants a job that gets them out of bed in the morning. People spend one third (and sometimes much more) of their 24-hour days at work. Funnelling all that time into work that feels meaningless can quickly disengage and dishearten an employee. No matter the level of work your employees do, meaning can be created through perspective. As the employer, you can emphasize the ‘WHY’ behind their work. Someone could have an incredibly important job, but if they don’t know why they are doing it, it quickly loses all meaning.

The solution: Everyone deserves to feel like they are an important factor in contributing to the success of the team. Help your employees become motivated by validating the work they’ve accomplished. Celebrate a member’s triumphs with the whole team, and it will boost morale for everyone. Showing your employees that they are a part of something greater than themselves can make their work worth doing. Also, be sure to share any charitable work the company does and show your team that they are contributing to that cause through their efforts.

Create Opportunities to Grow

For employees to be engaged, they must see a future where they can grow. Having a goal to work towards creates an incentive for them to put in their best efforts. Anyone would lose motivation and interest when all they see in the future is a dead-end. People need goals and opportunities to grow for them to feel fulfilled. 

The solution: While some jobs have a natural progression and room for growth, some may not. If possible, allow your employees to try their hand at a task that may be out of their comfort zone. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover someone’s hidden talents.