In Commitment #2 of my new book The 7 Commitments of a Great Team, I share the importance of staying positive together. Below is an excerpt from that section. I hope it encourages you and your team today.

You can pre-order the book now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or anywhere books are sold. It officially releases next week!

5 Ways to Stay Positive

Live LIGHT

Love instead of fear:

Love casts out fear and it’s the most powerful way to stay positive. Too often we let fear rule our mind. We fear making a mistake. We fear what people will think. We fear failure. We fear not living up to our expectations or the expectations of others. These fears often weaken us, limit us, and paralyze us. The answer is to choose love instead of fear. The minute you focus on love, fear dissipates.Instead of fearing the outcome, love competing. Instead of fearing not playing well, love playing. Instead of fearing your opponent, love the battle. Love the moment. Love the opportunity you have to play this game. Love elevates your state of mind and makes you feel more confident, positive, and courageous. Love is not weak. It’s strong and it makes us powerful.

Inside out:

Remember the truth that the power inside of you is greater than the forces outside of you. You don’t create your life from the outside in. You create it from the inside out - from your spirit, soul, passion, drive, and power within. So don’t look outside at the expectations and opinion of others in the media and feel pressure. Instead, look inside and know you are more powerful than all of it. You have the power to transform your environment, your circumstances, and your team.

Get to:
When you find yourself complaining or being stressed instead of thinking about what you “have to” do, realize that life is a gift, not an obligation, and focus on what you “get to” do. When you focus on “get to,” you feel grateful, and gratitude moves you from entitlement, frustration, and stress to appreciation and abundance. Research shows that you can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time. If you are feeling grateful, you won’t feel stressed.

Have faith:
When facing a challenge or experiencing a difficult situation, believe that things are going to improve. Have faith that somehow, some way, things are going to turn around. Expect challenges but have an even greater expectation that you will overcome them. Trust that struggle leads to strength and setbacks lead to comebacks. Always believe that the best is yet to come.

Talk to yourself. Don’t listen to yourself:
Instead of listening to the negative thoughts in your head, talk to yourself and be your own greatest encourager. Instead of beating yourself up, choose to lift yourself up with positive and affirming words. You are not the thoughts you think. You are the thoughts you believe. So don’t believe the negative thoughts in your head. Replace them with positive thoughts and choose to believe them.