Under the Influence
Under the influence of… positive or negative? Clearly our life and the experiences we realise are a mixture, and hopefully a balance of the two influences. Just as with happiness and sadness, without both in our lives we could not recognise one from another.
An opportunity to learn?
When we talk of positivity in our lives, people often react with the preconception that we are being told “BE positive… whatever”! If something is wrong or unpleasant in our lives, it is unrealistic to suggest that feeling positive at that moment will make it alright, that’s just plain ridiculous!
However, to be able to acknowledge this unpleasantness – whatever that might be – and giving ourselves permission to feel hurt, angry, resentful, etc., and then move on, and perhaps even find something positive out of that issue, might not be so ridiculous. Maybe we feel bad because we messed something up, made a mistake. Well, a positive is simply recognising the error for what it was, and learning from it.
It may not always be the case but consider if this was an opportunity to learn.
We become what we think and expose ourselves to
Who do you surround yourself with? Do you sit in the workplace or social setting with the ‘competitive moaners’? “Oh, I had a terrible time with that”, “Ooh, so did I, but mine was so much worse”…and so it goes on, round and round, each trying to outdo the others misfortune.
Or, do you mix with those who support you, provide nourishing inspiration or have a ‘never say die’ attitude in the workplace? Are you all you can be in the workplace or home?
Do you religiously soak up the worlds terrible events relayed so efficiently in the media’s TV and Press editions? Are you paying for and reading the gossip mags to see who’s doing what… and with whom?
We become what we think! We also become that which we expose ourselves to!
If you:
- embrace and consider gratitude, you are more likely to be gracious!
- consider compassion, you will become more compassionate!
- seek opportunities, you will be more likely to recognise opportunities!
- find positive influences, you are likely to be a positive influence!
It really is up to us!
Our Counselling And Therapy Services
Our posts are created to provide useful and supportive information, covering a variety of relevant topics. If anything you have read here resonates and you would like to explore the possibility of working one-to-one with either Bob Brotchie or Penni Osborn, please do get in touch.
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Bob Brotchie is a counsellor, mindset consultant and creator of "Conscious Living by Design"™. He writes for Anglia Counselling, is featured on various other websites and introduces us to many guest writers all covering topics related to mental health and wellbeing.
Bob provides bespoke counselling services to individuals and couples in the privacy and comfort of a truly welcoming environment at his Anglia Counselling company office, located near Newmarket in Suffolk, England. Bob also provides professional online counselling, for local, national, and international clients. The therapeutic models offered are bespoke to the client’s needs, especially those in receipt of 'childhood emotional neglect' (CEN), whilst integrating a mindful approach to psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles. For clients experiencing trauma and/or phobia, Bob offers EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).