Mid-Week Musings: How to Stay Positive

Optimism has never been my strong point and growing up I often had quite a bleak outlook on life. The main reason for this was my constant uncontrol fear of failure. As an only child I often felt that I didn't want to let my parents down if I didn't pass a test and I felt overshadowed by beautiful, yet smarter than average cousins in my family. I grew up thinking that if I expected the worst, if I did fail I wouldn't feel as bad. It's only now that I've grown older and wiser that I have discovered the meaning of the age old saying that 'the fear of failure is worse than failure itself.' I need to embrace life and realise that sometimes we all make mistakes and we can learn from them and eventually do better than we thought we could do.

The reason behind this post is that I've been struggling to stay positive lately due to being constantly poorly and other personal challenges.I feel like everything I do I'm setting myself up for failure rather than being positive and trying to see a better outcome. I've decided this needs to change and I need to get myself back on track. So here's my top tips for anyone lacking a bit of positivity right now. 

Never compare yourself to anyone.

I'm the worst at this. I compare my body, my intellect, my blog and even my marriage to other peoples. It isn't healthy at all. We are all different people, have different needs and different circumstances. Our lives cannot be compared because we are all unique. Yes, it's normal to feel envious over people, but it shouldn't control you. Feel happy that you're healthy, feel blessed that there are so many ways to learn new things if you're worried about 'how smart you are' and when it comes to your relationship, only you and your partner should matter.

Take things at your own pace

We all learn things at different paces and although it is frustrating,  it is possible to eventually achieve your dreams. Whilst learning to drive I would wind myself up so much comparing myself to my friend who passed first time that I would have panic attacks and not get through the rest of my lessons. Eventually I passed third time and looking back, I appreciate the fact that I've had a lot more lessons, in lots of different type of weather and I see it as I'm a more experienced driver now I'm on the road. Take things at your own pace and don't worry what other people think.

Look at how far you have come

Sometimes it is not not until you look back, you actually realise how far you have come in life and the things you have learnt on the way. The things don't always happen over night, sometimes they take a little bit of developing, but they are usually worth the wait. Keep your chin up, smile and look to the future rather than always looking back. You can make your dreams come true.

What are your tips for staying positive during a difficult time?