I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—we create the world we live in. 

Our mindset and how we feel about things truly does color the world around us. It sounds cliché, but it’s completely true. Think about it. If you’re (whether intentionally or unintentionally) seeing the world as if you are a victim in any and every situation, you become a victim. You are creating your own hell. On the other hand, if you are focusing on the good around you, you find yourself happier and more quickly able to see the good in any situation. And, you can train your mind, through time and effort, to perceive things in a more positive light. 

...with the build-up of negative thing after negative thing, it’s getting harder for people to immediately think positive thoughts. 

This nice and loving reminder came into my life earlier this week. We’ve all been living in harder times recently with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It’s a difficult time. Yes, society always has one rough thing or another looming, but with the build-up of negative thing after negative thing, it’s getting harder for people to immediately think positive thoughts. 

On my recent trip overseas and back, I once again found myself regularly dealing with sleep paralysis. No one wants to be stuck in sleep paralysis. It’s such a horrific phenomenon that people, even physicians, regularly describe it as a feeling of “dying.” Now, this may seem like an extreme case, but I was gently reminded that rather than complaining and expressing my intense displeasure with being stuck in that state, I could easily change my mindset and, instead, focus on turning the episodes of sleep paralysis into an OBE. After all, many people claim that sleep paralysis is the first step to having an OBE. 

I’m learning that whenever I find myself thinking something negative during my adventures, to quickly stop myself before I can fully process the negative thought.

I’m not saying that every bad situation can be turned into a good one or that every single cloud has a silver lining, but it can most definitely improve your quality of life if you change your mindset to think more positively. 

For instance, I’m learning that whenever I find myself thinking something negative during my adventures, to quickly stop myself before I can fully process the negative thought. From there, I ask myself, “But what’s something good I can say about this situation, place, person, etc?” By forcing myself to think about the good just a little more in each situation, I’ve naturally colored my world to be just a little bit happier. We cannot control what happens around us most of the time, but we can control how we react to it, and that’s important to remember. 

When I wake up in the morning, I also try to do a quick five-minute gratitude exercise. I focus on the thing in my life that I’m happiest about and really live in that happiness for just a few moments. That little bit of positivity to start my day goes a long way. 

Good meditation skills and a positive mindset provide us with the right attitude to neutralize negativity, as well as to help us accomplish what we’re looking to do this lifetime.

If you’re looking to get a head start on your mindset change, I recommend attending that Monroe Institute retreat you’ve been wanting to attend forever. Or, if nothing else, the Expand app offers a variety of gratitude-related meditations. That’s a great tool for planning a daily meditation for yourself. By regularly meditating, changing your mindset becomes much easier and more attainable.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that things are hard. Things are hard for many of us across the board. But we can change our own worlds, one small step at a time, by living in a more positive mindset filled with gratitude. Good meditation skills and a positive mindset provide us with the right attitude to neutralize negativity, as well as to help us accomplish what we’re looking to do this lifetime.