Monday Wake up Call

Monday Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead  

No Complaining!

Good morning! Did you have a great weekend? If not, don’t complain about it! Did you know that – according to science – complaining is terrible for you? Wallowing in negativity has serious consequences for your mental and physical health.

Most people don’t complain with the intention of torturing others; rather, they just feel the need to “vent.” Although we think we’ll feel better by getting our emotions out, science proves otherwise. Not only does expressing negativity tend to not make us feel better, but it also makes listeners feel worse.

Steve Parton, author and student of human nature, outlines three ways that complaining harms your health:

1. Synapses that fire together, wire together! This is one of the first lessons neuroscience students learn. Not only do repeated negative thoughts make it easier to think yet more negative thoughts, but they also make it more likely that negative thoughts will randomly occur to you and make you more negative. Through repetition of thought, the thought that wins is the one that has less distance to travel. Gloom soon outraces positivity.

2. You are whom you hang out with! Not only does hanging out with your own negative thoughts rewire your brain for negativity, but hanging out with negative people also does much the same. If you want to strengthen your capacity for positivity and weaken your reflex for gloom, “surround yourself with happy people who rewire your brain toward love and a positive outlook,” Parton explains.

3. Stress is terrible for your body! According to Parton, “When your brain is firing off these synapses of anger, you’re weakening your immune system – you’re raising your blood pressure, increasing your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes and a plethora of other negative ailments.” The culprit is the stress hormone cortisol. When you’re negative, you release it.

Something to Think About

We all know “those people” and have them in our lives. Try to limit your time around them and, whenever possible, keep turning the conversation toward something positive. Let’s help rewire their brains!

Weekly Challenge

Each week, you should be sending this email to friends, family and clients to stay positioned for referrals, repeat business and top-of-mind awareness. If you have not yet started sending this email each week, today is a great day to get started – especially if you have any of “those” clients, friends or family members on your list. But YOUR activity this week is to go seven days without complaining – not even once. If someone tries to complain to you, just tell him/her that you’re not allowed to complain or listen to anyone complain for seven days. You’re busy rewiring your brain!

Words of Wisdom

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” – Joyce Meyer

“I think it's important to get your surroundings as well as yourself into a positive state – meaning surround yourself with positive people, not the kind who are negative and jealous of everything you do.” – Heidi Klum

“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.” – Allen Klein

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you and, in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” – Brian Tracy