It hits everyone at some point in the day…that little thought of negativity that quickly spirals into a downright cranky mood. Suddenly it’s just not okay that the elevator is late or that someone cut you off on the way home. These little annoyances coupled with negative thoughts can quickly turn us into prickly, sour people. But how do we turn them off those negative thoughts and face the annoyances of daily life?
We can do it with this quick and easy formula: identify + acknowledge + refute = happy thoughts. Seems easy right? Let’s try it with the example of waiting for a late work delivery.
1. Identify what is bothering you: Is it the annoyance of a late delivery or the fact that it is beyond your control?
2. Acknowledge why it bothers you: It will impact your whole day and possibly make you look incompetent to your bosses or client.
3. Refute the thought by accepting what you can do and what you can: You can track the package until it reaches the office. You can call a supervisor and explain a situation. You can call the delivery company and demand to speak to their supervisor. You can take action, face the problem, and refute the power it has over you.
Then allow yourself to have the happy thoughts where you praise yourself for identifying, acknowledging, and refuting the power these little annoyances have over you. Tell yourself you did a good job, reward yourself, and make a plan in the future to practice this positive thinking again, so that someday it will be an automatic equation like 2 + 2!