Turning Negatives Into Positives

High achievers have the ability to turn negative situations into positive ones. They have the knack when given a lemon to make lemonade. Regardless of how difficult the circumstances are they are able to turn them into stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks.

Life is filled with negatives. They cannot be escaped. Everyone goes through difficulties from time to time. However, those who refuse to be defeated by adversity are the ones that enjoy success in life.

Robert Schuller says, “Tough times never last but tough people do.” A friend of mine says, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!” Being tough, in this sense of the word, means not giving up or stopping short of what you are striving to accomplish.

The following suggestions will give you some ideas for turning negatives into positives.

Expect the best.
You get what you expect. This is true both in the positive and the negative. Jesus said, “As your faith is so be it unto you.” Quit expecting the worse. Don’t borrow trouble. Determine to look for and anticipate the best.

Get a different perspective.
Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. At times you have to step away from the problem and look at it from a different angle. Ask others close to you what they see. Get their input as to what to do about the current condition. Taking a break from the situation can give you a whole new outlook.

Ask questions.
When writing a story a good investigative reporter always asks Who? What? Why? Where? When? and How? Asking these same questions about your situation gives you great insight not only into the problem you are faced with, but also into what caused it, and how to turn it around.

Failure isn’t final.
It is one thing to fail it is another to see yourself as a failure. Failure is not an event it is an attitude. Just because you have blown it doesn’t mean you’re finished. By not giving up or losing heart you are able to turn your negatives into a positive. I like to look at my times of failure as learning experiences. Every time I try something and fail I have simply discovered something that didn't work. I am constatly seeking to find ways to improve what I am doing. Babe Ruth was the strike out king of baseball. But he never quit swinging. His failure isn't final attitude led him to become the home run king of baseball. So you've failed. Big deal! Get up and keep trying. Success is just around the corner!

Change the way you speak.
According to Solomon, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Your words have power. People that talk failure, struggle and negative situations all the time, experience exactly what they are speaking. Much of what happens to people is the result of self-fulfilling prophecies. Choose to begin to speak positively about your situation. Begin to declare what can be not what can’t be. Jesus taught, “A good man out of the good treasures of his heart brings forth that which is good. An evil man out of the evil treasures of his heart brings forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” What you say has an impact on what you experience.