Glass Half Full Or Empty?
Happiness and mental health aren’t easy issues to tackle, but I’ll do my best as a life coach to help you with the fundamentals. First, a lot of how we see the world affects how we feel about it. That’s why we often ask the age-old philosophical question: “Is the glass half full or half empty?” Now I’m not suggesting that the road to happiness is so simple as to just change your perspective since changing out outlooks—even ever so slightly—is a massive undertaking. We have to undo all of our limiting beliefs and think from a headspace free of fear or anxiety, making decisions with clarity and confidence. But there are certainly some “life hacks” you can use to help yourself make better choices and to reshape your perspective.
“Fake it till you make it,” is another saying that also holds true in this regard, as if we coerce ourselves to be mostly bright and cheerful, these qualities eventually rub off on us for real, and ingrain themselves into our behaviour. Of course, always “faking” your emotions is never a good thing, so I should stress that my advice for this particular self-coaching is to just try to see the good in every person, opportunity (missed or gained) or day. Confidence is as much a practiced art as any sport, and it’s something that we need to work on every day in every situation.
Lastly, I’d suggest that you try and surround yourself with as many confident, genuinely happy people as you’re able to find. Humans are social and tribalistic creatures, and we pick up the social habits of our chosen circle. So if you’ve surrounded yourself with complainers and Negative Nancies, then you’ll find personal growth in another direction much harder than it need be. Again, a caution: I’m not suggesting you go out and cut ties with all the people in your life who are experiencing distress or negativity. I’m suggesting that you expand your social circle to include more positive people, who in turn influence you, who in turn will influence—through example—the people in your life who are suffering or stuck in a rut!
Happiness is contagious, and it’s the one thing—especially in today’s climate—you shouldn’t be afraid to catch!
—Aviva xoxo