The Pandemic and its restrictions are not going anywhere, it can be complicated to go dig deep inside to find positivity. However, the absence of positivity tends to create a vicious circle, which conditions us to think less and less positive, and more and more negative. This is annoying!
At a time when more and more of us are shouting loudly about wanting a fresh new start, a more constructive, more engaging, and more exciting question arises: how can we bring a little positive thinking back into our lives?
Exactly.
One possibility to ponder is to embark on a personal project that is close to our hearts and that gives us a good reason to move forward while enjoying our own efforts.
If you are tempted by the idea, here are a few ideas that are easy to put into practice, either on your own or with the kind support of someone close to you.
How do you choose your personal project? How do you align it with your own values? How do you define goals that make sense and really take you somewhere? And finally, how do you make sure to start now, because it’s now or never!
Positivity, Project, and Values (PPV): let’s make a quick recap:
Going back to basics, let’s first talk about what being positive means, what a personal project brings, and how we can align it with our own values to transform our lives and create the energy reserve we drastically need.
Positivity
By definition (thanks to the Dictionary), to be positive is to rest on a firm idea, “something, of which the reality cannot be doubted […] which takes account of realities, which has a practical sense […] which has an effect, a favorable result or which constitutes a stage in a progression”.
Positivity – and building up your positive energy by the same token – therefore means deciding to be positive in one’s approach. And it means forging a personal and conditional conviction that a specific behavior will have a transformative impact on our lives.
Promising, isn’t it?
Project
A project is something that commits us and pushes us forward. It is something that we keep in mind to such an extent that it can make us stubborn and push us further and further into what we thought we could do.
A project brings us positive emotions, self-confidence, rigor, and a reason to get up in the morning.
It is also a very personal expression of what moves us, motivates us, and creates in us an irrepressible need to move to change a situation that may be negative, unsatisfactory, uncomfortable, or uncertain.
In other words, a project is a concrete and tangible way of putting into practice the desire for positivity that we have – that’s all there is to it.
Values
Finally, a successful project is one that is in line with our own values.
Values are super important!
If your project was a GPS that was supposed to take you somewhere, then your values would typically be the road signs that line up your route and defines your driving.
Never this, never that, always the same speed… you get the idea!
So, as a basis for your positivity project: focus on your human values, reflect on what you value, and focus on what is important to you!
Also, think about what contributes to generating positive emotions in your daily life.
How can you make your project exciting and stimulating?
How can you create a positive impact on your life, whether it is for three months, a year, five years, or ten years?
The questions are there – the rest is in your hands!
To make the Momentum last, set SMART goals!
Positivity was described earlier as a way of thinking that creates positive conditioning, remember?
To make the Momentum last and to maintain your momentum, it is highly recommended to set up SMART goals in the short, medium and long term!
SMART, as a reminder, is an acronym that implies that in order to make sense, a good goal should be
- Specific (because vague objectives lead nowhere)
- Measurable (because there is no evaluation without prior measurement)
- Assignable (an objective must be achieved by/with an identified person)
- Realistic (because the idea is not to be crazy)
- With a notion of Time (because without a time limit, there is no result within a reasonable time)
No kidding!
This point is essential to include positivity in your life!
It allows you to formulate a clear idea of where you want to go.
It allows you to put in place a clear plan of action to move forward and measure progress.
It allows you to give responsibility to the parties involved in the project. Including you!
It keeps your feet on the ground.
And it allows the project to enter a time dimension that you can control.
Put differently? Having a SMART project will allow you to gain confidence step by step while controlling the realization, the ins, and outs of what you have in mind. And that’s positivity in a nutshell!
Don’t forget to take care of yourself
At the end of the day, embarking on an exciting project is all well and good, but you also have to think about taking care of yourself – otherwise, your passion project may turn into a hassle, and that will spoil the fun a bit.
So what’s the point? To stay positive, take care of yourself!
Taking care of yourself involves taking care of yourself in a comprehensive way, doing things that help you feel good and welcome positive emotions.
For example, how much time do you give yourself each week to realize your happiness? To appreciate your surroundings? To meditate? To see where you are in life?
Some people start their day with a moment ‘for themselves’ before moving on to their work day. Others prefer to take a specific moment in their day, in their week, to focus on what is good for them.
Some do it alone, others need a sounding board and prefer to use a performance coach or a business coach – there is no right or wrong way!
In fact, the only limit is you, your imagination, and your desire to do something for yourself.
To start with, my advice would be to see where you are in life. What can you control? What can you influence? What do you need help with?
It’s all up to you!
The ball is in your court, in the end, and it’s up to you to make the choice to take charge of your life and (re)become the master of your emotions through action! So? what kind of positive energy do you want to produce? What positive impact do you want to have? Do you need a push?
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About the author:
Jérôme de Clarens is a Life Coach based in Hong Kong. An ex-professional football player, he pushes people to the next level, brings positive thinking, and pushes them toward achieving their goals – always with passion! In Asia since 2012, he coaches clients based between Hong Kong and France, and believes that you can realize everything you want! Having said that, what’s your first move?
