I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.
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One of the things I realized on my journey to building a profitable practice is that you have to remain positive in spite of negative thoughts. Here are nine ways to overcome negative thoughts and think more positively:
Negative thoughts are like a cancer to your spirit. They slowly eat away at you until there isn’t enough left to support your hopes and dreams. Negative thoughts are damaging because they affect everything that can come afterward. This includes your decisions, goals, actions, and results.
Negative thinking can impact every area of your life. It limits your effectiveness and poisons your outlook on life. If the time you spend on your self-development is limited, dealing with your negative thinking is an excellent way to allocate your time. Take control of your thinking and be more positive:
1. Avoid thinking of yourself as a victim. When you have the mindset of a victim, you’re doing yourself to a plethora of negative thinking. A victim has neither hope nor options. There are always ways to move forward. You have choices.
2. Recognize your negative thought patterns. Your thoughts can be just as habitual as your morning coffee or your cigarette break. Notice your repetitive thoughts and when they occur. The first step to changing these thought patterns is to catch them when they first begin. When you notice negative thinking, change your thought. Either think a positive thought or redirect your thinking and focus to whatever you’re doing at the moment.
3. Read positive quotes each day. If you can’t find the time to read a book, at least read a few positive quotes each day. You can buy a calendar with positive quotes. There are also plenty of websites with quotes on a wide variety of topics.
4. Keep your mind in the present. Sure, you can look ahead as needed to make plans, but your thoughts should remain rooted in the present. Thinking about the past results in frustration and regret. Thoughts of the future can cause anxiety. Keep your mind on your current surroundings and task. There’s no reason to worry about the next step. Take care of the current step first.
5. Ask yourself: Do I know for certain this is a fact, or is it just my opinion? You don’t know as much as you think you do. You make a lot of assumptions based on faulty knowledge. This can lead to the belief that a situation is less solvable than it really is. If you don’t have accurate beliefs, you’re already at a considerable disadvantage.
6. Avoid the idea that perfection is possible. Expect that you won’t be perfect at any time. When perfection is the goal, you’ll always fall short, and that opens the door for negative thinking.
7. Spend time doing something that makes you feel good. It’s easy to have positive thoughts if you’re doing something enjoyable. Spend time with your partner or a good friend. Make a list of things you like to do and spend some time each day doing at least one of them. Enjoy yourself each day.
8. Meditate. Meditation seems to be the cure for everything. That’s one of the best ways to learn more about your thought patterns. It’s also an effective way to focus, redirect your thoughts, and overcome negative thinking.
9. Make a list of affirmations and take control of your self-talk. Instead of inventing a list of positive self-talk on the fly, have a list prepared of positive things you can say to yourself. Build yourself talk around your goals and kill two birds with one stone.
Is your negative thinking impacting your results and future? Negative thinking is a challenging habit to defeat. Monitor your thoughts and defeat your negative thinking before it can take root. Replace those negative thoughts with a positive alternative. Make an effort to spend time each day enjoying yourself. Little by little you’ll find that you’re spending more of your time thinking positively, and your life will take a turn for the better.
I am Dr. Hassan, Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practice so that they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/guide to pick up your free guide to help you determine the best business entity for your new practice.
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Staying positive isn’t always easy. Check out our blog here on how you can maintain your positive state of mind.
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Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com
