Be Your Own Cheerleader

Written by Eugene Loh, A Slice of Life, 938LIVE, a station of MediaCorp Radio

Complex our mind may be, but it can really only hold one thought at a time. If you're looking for a way to feel better at any given moment, all you have to do is change what you are focusing on. Your brain is a very powerful tool that you own and you should use to your advantage.

When was the last time you were reminiscing about a great time in your life and it made you feel terrible? When was the last time you were thinking about a painful event in your life and it made you feel good? These paradoxes exist because what you focus on is what you get!

With this in mind, the next time you find yourself in a less than desirable situation, be sure to find the positive side of it and focus your attention on that. Not only will you feel better about the situation, but also you will actually be in a better frame of mind to work through it. With this mind-set you will find yourself focusing on the solution rather than the problem.

The best way to control your focus is to ask yourself good questions. Such as "what can I find that is good in this situation?", "what have I learned from this that will make me more successful the next time?", or "how can I make this situation better?" By asking yourself effective questions, you will force your brain to look for and find a solution for what you can do to solve a problem and how you can make a situation better.

On the other hand, if you ask yourself self-defeating questions - such as "why does this always happen to me?", "why can't I have that?", "what did I do to deserve this?" and similar ilk, your brain will look for those exact answers and tell you why bad things happen to you, why you can't have something and why you deserve something bad. Now it's one thing when someone else tells you something like that, but when you tell it to yourself, you are sure to believe it! So be your own best cheerleader.

Practise focusing on positive thoughts and learn to ask yourself effective questions that will lead to constructive answers. If you look hard enough, there will always be a positive side to every situation. And for the challenges you must face in life, focus on the solution, not the problem. If you focus on the problem at hand, you will never find the solution. Focus on your dreams and they will become a reality. Ask yourself, "how can I reach my dream?"

Don't be surprised when your brain gives you the answer!

Bflygal's comments:
I am my own cheerleader.. hip hip hooray! haha. Anyway, I don't wish to be found does not mean I wallow in depression or anything. I took it as a chance to learn something from it. So if you are worried for me, please don't. I still have my dreams to accomplish. I still have not visited certain places that I have promised to. And I still need my energy for my upcoming exams. Rest assured I will not let my thoughts run wild.