Take Control of Your Mindset So You Always Have a Good Day

Do you ever find it hard to put yourself in a good mood, or shake negative thoughts that prevent you from enjoying your day?

If you would like to learn another effective way to help you change your mindset so you can live a happier life, the following might be able to help.

Examine the thoughts that you constantly feed your mind.

Not only is this information going to be short and sweet, but it's not going to presume to tell you how to find happiness. Personally, I don't view happiness as something to be found, at least not anymore.

I believe happiness is something we have the power within our selves to tap into, each and every day, for as long as we allow ourselves to. That's because my philosophy is:

Happiness lives in our minds, and is available to us whenever we want it.

Anyone who understands something about this concept, recognizes that our thoughts are the key to when, where, and how long we enjoy a measure of happiness.

That is why it is so important to examine the thoughts that we feed our minds, not just once or twice a day, but all day.

I've learned how to do this, through the help of a quotation I discovered a few years ago. I read the quote and immediately had a full understanding of what it was saying. It's like it was telling me exactly what I was doing wrong, and exactly how to fix it.

"If you're depressed, you're living in the past. If you're anxious, you're living in the future. If you're at peace, you're living in the present." - Lao Tzu

I'm the product of the foster care system, and an abusive childhood, as well as a rough young adulthood. Many bad memories have a way of trying to flood my mind and keep me locked in the past.

I'm also a person with a lot of anxiety (as you might imagine), so I tend to worry about a lot of negative "what ifs", while trying to predict the outcome of my future.

Even though I already knew these things about myself, the quotation helped me understand how to examine my negative moods, and fix them by correcting my thinking.

Now, whenever I catch myself feeling down or in a slump, I try to identify which feeling it is and what thought process led up to the feeling. More than anything, I want to stay grounded in the present, and that's where the focus of my thoughts should be.

I recognized how the words meant that we should strive to become mindful in our thinking by learning to live in the present moment. This quotation helps me control my mindset so I have more happy and enjoyable days.

I was already familiar with the concept of mindfulness, after having read a variety of information on it in the past. I always liked the idea of trying to live in the moment, but in all honesty, I never really tried to do it with any regularity.

The quotation helped me connect the dots, so that I could learn how to change the way I think.

Try a day of mindful thinking and take control of your thoughts.

We get so much self-help suggestions and tips online, it's hard to know when and if we're getting good advice and opinions that really work.

I'm a firm believer in putting things to the test, so I challenge all readers to take the "mindfulness" test.

Sometimes, we feel blah, or unmotivated, or just in a crumby mood, and don't know exactly why. We may have no idea what's bothering us, if we even recognize that something has got us down.

I propose you do a little experiment and try acknowledging the words from the quotation for a whole day. Whenever you catch yourself feeling anything less than positive, or upbeat, try to examine the reason why.

Consider what thoughts are going through your mind, that may be affecting your mood.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you upset about something that already happened - aka: the past? If so, maybe that "blah" or moody feeling is actually a touch of depression.
• Are you worried about something that hasn't happened yet - aka: the future? Maybe that uneasy feeling is anxiety.

What should you do once you understand and acknowledge the thought process that led to your feeling down? Replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.

Think about things that relate to the here and now, not yesterday, or tomorrow, but right now, because that's the only thing you currently have control of.

Final Thoughts

Although the above information can sincerely help you learn to refocus your thoughts and change your mindset, it still takes effort on your part.

It's not always so easy to make your mind do what it's told when you're going through something. But part of the battle is knowing and accepting what's happening for what it is.

It's hard to fight depression when you don't realize you're depressed. It's hard not to be anxious when you don't know you're suffering from anxiety.

That means we have to constantly keep analyzing our thoughts and our entire thought process, and when we determine the culprit, replace the negative thoughts with more positive thoughts; thoughts that help you stay grounded in the present.

• Remember how the present should always be viewed and appreciate it for what it is.
• Recall the words of Lao Tzu, and think about how to apply them when you feel yourself unmotivated or down.
• Don't forget the 2 questions to ask yourself when you catch yourself in a less than positive mood.

Do you want to stop your mind from dwelling on negative thoughts? Try replacing those thoughts with motivating and uplifting ones, because after all, you're really the one in control.

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