Signs!

Signs!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Several years ago I conducted a couple of intensives. One was on Assertiveness and the other was about Understanding Perspective. I loved facilitating those workshops. One reason I enjoyed it was because I got to be a part of creating scenarios, exercises and games which aided in bringing about understanding on some level. For a long time I have held a strong interest in helping people turn things around. I call it motivational therapy. When I went back to college the closest I could find in the way of a degree was Psychology, so that is what I went for. Toward the end of my undergrad I discovered there was a young branch of Psychology known as Positive Psychology. I guess I chose well.

In any case, psychological wellness appealed to me and drew me in as it still does today. I believe human beings have the ability to nurture and grow in resilience to help them overcome obstacles, challenges and hurdles. It usually means finding innovative ways to recognize our level of perception and how to alter it in such a way that we can see another side to things.

Often we can find things starring us in the face or sitting right under our noses. Have you ever found your keys exactly where they should have been, but you had trouble finding them? What about looking for those glasses which were sitting on your head the entire time? Or, did you ever hide something thinking you were putting it in a safe location, but had trouble remembering where it was? All these examples prove that when we take a moment and back track or lighten up on ourselves a bit we can discover things were already in order or not as bad as they initially seemed. Easier said on hindsight, huh?

With this in mind, one of the exercises I like to use in workshop scenarios has to do with paying attention and finding those things which are right in front of us and pointing toward good thoughts, feelings and positive messages. Participants are asked to be observant out in public and take photos of positive messages they normally would have missed. Then they can look back upon those photos and even share them with others. During our time together I have them look through magazines and newspapers and find the messages that speak specifically to them. Good thoughts are out there and they are visible in the way of signs such as these. Advertisements and headlines can truly open up some good feelings for us, if we are paying attention and are on the lookout for them.  For example, I found an ad recently in a small obscure circular that had, “Oh, Yes You Can” emblazoned all over it. To me, that is a message we all can stand to see on a daily basis to keep us moving forward. I call this a sign of life.

Now, have you ever noticed when someone specifically points something out to you and then you suddenly become aware of it every time you see it? For example, you have a conversation about a particular type of car and then for several days afterwards you see so many of those cars you can hardly believe it. That isn’t a coincidence. Your mind is consciously aware.

Need to turn things around for the better? Look for the good news. Use this idea to open up fresh doors and change negative thoughts into positive ones. It’s easy and fun once you get started. Signs are everywhere: billboards, bus stops, magazines, newspapers, internet, bumper stickers, license plates, balloons, etc. These little messages can be likened to that of a cheerleader encouraging us on!

Go get ‘em!

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Cheers!