Flipping the Script.

Many people find themselves in a funk, living daily in the dumps. How do you get out of the dumps? The first step is to do challenging work to make the change. I always tell people, “I can give you the tools, instruct you on the process, and demonstrate the process, but until you are ready to apply what you learned, change will never happen.”

Yesterday, I presented a life motto:

“Turn the Negatives into Positive, and Accentuate the Positives.”

How does this concept apply to your life situation? Does it have the power to help me get out of the funk? Before we go much further, I would refer you to my previous blogs about the Iceberg and how your behavior is shaped by what is below the surface.

Here is a good illustration of how the principle will work in a person’s life. It is always helpful to have a team or support network for success. Isolation is the recipe for failure.

Consider a person who struggles with an addiction. Without making one type of addiction sound more difficult than another, let me say that overcoming an addiction is not the same for every person who is in the battle. The addiction could be drugs, caffeine, smoking, drinking, pornography, eating too much or stress eating, gambling, playing video games, you get the picture.

While the end goal is freedom from the addiction, the process might seem daunting or overwhelming. Remember the old saying, you eat an elephant one bite at a time? Well, that applies to more than elephants. The goal is to turn Negatives (plural) into Positives (also plural) one step at a time.

That has been the key for recovery programs for decades. People will say, “Today, I am ten days sober.” Each day is one step in the right direction, and each step or positive change is celebrated. Each step or day we have made a positive change in our behavior or habit is one fantastic day that deserves to be celebrated.

Sure, there are going to be setbacks and failures, but then you get up, and tomorrow becomes another positive step in the right direction, and we celebrate it all over again. Celebrations are sweetest when they are shared!

That is where the team or cheering section comes into the process. Your life change team is there for three important reasons. First, they are there to support your progress and hold you accountable. For example, if I have a weakness for donuts, they might remind me of my diet plan when I am tempted to eat a dozen glazed donuts.

Second, they are there to give you the support you need as you make your way. This might be someone you call when you are struggling or can help you make tough decisions. The third reason is they are your cheering section. They are there to celebrate the victories and encourage you when it has been a day of setbacks.

Anyone can apply this principle to their life challenges. It is not easy, but it is always worth the work. Let's make a plan to change your negatives into positives, and then we can celebrate you and your awesome progress.