A famous speaker once quoted, “No matter what struggles, circumstances or experience you’ve had, it’s how you interpret it that will shape your world.” I believe there is truth to this statement. What we believe, we live out, and it would eventually shape our future.
During my younger days, I have lived in a world thinking a breakup had completely destroyed my world, bad exam results showed how dumb I was and a couple of failed job interviews determined my bleak future. I trust that everyone would have at some point thought that they could never have a successful future because of their past failures.
Personally, I feel that shifting from a negative to positive mindset is one of the hardest things to do. It requires conviction and courage. What we believe may not always be right, but what are we doing to renew our mindsets?
Positive versus negative mindsets
One of my favourite characters who had a great mindset was Joseph in the bible. He encountered many mishaps in his life, none of which he had asked for. Each encounter he had, he held faith and had a positive mindset that God will deliver him.
I personally would also believe he had moments of doubt, but he did not let any setbacks stop him from drawing closer to his destiny. If he had remained depressed because he was sold as a slave, or accused for sleeping with Potiphar’s wife, he would not have become the second most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharoah.
I briefly read about what negative mindsets do to our healths. It leads to poor eating habits, disrupts sleep patterns, and increases the risks of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Being negative does take a big toll on our bodies and daily lives.
I am no expert in this, but I have certainly seen people being affected by their negative mindsets e.g. massive loss in weight, unable to perform any daily tasks, and constantly unhappy or angry etc.
When we go through life with a mindset that is not renewed, we stop chasing our dreams and visions because we simply think it is impossible. We get trapped in a downward spiral of negativity and eventually live a life thinking we have been shortchanged.
Sometimes we might indeed have been mistreated, but we have our loving Father to grace us with the strength to overcome and forgive. Too many people have missed their destinies because of the strongholds in their lives.
2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 4 says, “The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” I certainly have not always been positive, but have since identified a few tips to demolish mental strongholds.
- Take captive every thought and submit to our loving Father.
Whenever I felt negative, I would talk to God. It might be a grumble, a complaint, a cry or a quick prayer. There is nothing more comforting to know that even when the whole world forsakes you, there is a God who paid the price to redeem you.
What matters to you, matters to Him too. When you feel down, He is there. For His yoke is easy, and burden is light. Why not give Him a chance by submitting your negative thoughts and replace them with the loving thoughts He has about you?
- Surround yourself with positive people.
While I acknowledge that everyone does have their own set of challenges, I believe there are people who face their challenges with a smile of confidence. Surround yourself with these friends as their positive vibes and outlook in life will eventually spread, giving you the courage to take on your challenges.
Never ever isolate yourself, thinking that no one understands or cares for you. I have tried that, and it was miserable.
- Just snap out of it.
This is probably the harshest tip of all but sometimes we really just need to get on with it. While our Daddy God is always willing to listen to us, and friends tirelessly encouraging us, it really boils down to whether we are willing to snap out of the negativity, place the hurts behind and start cultivating a positive mindset towards our lives.
As we are gearing up to welcome the new year, what are we programming in our minds? Our mindset really matters, as it really determines how we respond through the storms. It is always easy to be grateful for the amazing things in our lives and await the next great thing. However, life is never a bunch of roses.
As much as we expect good things to keep coming, there would be nasty challenges coming our way. Whether we can go through life praising through the storms and receive blessings at the end of the dark tunnel will largely depend on how we deal with what comes our way.
Our life is like a blank canvas. Even though there might be some stains along the way, there is still a big portion of white waiting for us to decide how it should be drawn.
Let’s start with a positive mindset today, and not let the stains distract us from what good that can come out from the white part of the canvas. My prayer is for everyone to live out their best lives without being held back by any mental stronghold. God bless.
Amy Ching enjoys fellowship with people and seeing their lives changed because of Jesus. Her passion is to influence others and speak into their lives. She loves spending time with family and friends and would love a good meal on top of the fellowship. She enjoys travelling and would love to travel all the time if she can. If you want to know more about her, check out her instagram account @chingamy, where she posts about life, her revelations, and hopes to inspire.