All You Need is Positivity

(The non-toxic kind)

Read time — 5.5 minutes

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Hey bud,

Did you know that your brain is 31% more productive when you are in a positive frame of mind?

You are also 37% better at sales when you are in a positive frame of mind (good for sales professionals and entrepreneurs).

This data is from the work of Shawn Achor, a Harvard Psychologist who wrote the book The Happiness Advantage.

Most people think this: “I need to work harder to be more successful. And If I’m more successful I will be happier.”

In reality, our brains work in the reverse order.

We need to work on happiness first.

Success follows happiness, not the other way around.

Now it takes consistent work to keep up a positive frame of mind. In essence, it’s not as easy as just thinking positive.

Why?

Humans are naturally wired to be in a negative frame of mind.

There’s a part of our brains called the amygdala — and according to neuroscience, 75% of the real estate of your amygdala is dedicated to negative thoughts.

Which means we are predominantly negative as human beings.

In this week’s letter, we’ll dive into why we’re so wired to be negative, what the value of being in a positive frame of mind is, and what you can do to develop this frame of mind.

Let’s get into it.

Why You are so Negative all the Time

Survival.

That’s the biggest reason.

Back in our caveman days, there was life threatening danger lurking in every corner.

Whether it’s a predator out to get us, harsh environments, or enemy tribes.

A wrong assumption could literally end your life back then.

Those that had a naturally positive frame of mind were unaware of potential danger and were removed from our gene pool.

Those that had a naturally negative frame of mind survived.

And so we evolved from our ancestors that survived because of their natural negative frame of mind.

Which means if we don’t do anything about it, our brains would come up with a host of negative scenarios and possibilities to help us survive.

But we live in a completely different world now.

There are no predators out to get us anymore.

We’ve protected ourselves from harsh environments with the technology and resources available to us.

We’ve collectively agreed that (in general) killing each other because of minor disagreements isn’t a good thing for society.

So now, we’re paying some heavy prices for our naturally negative frame of mind which benefited us so much in our evolution back then.

Persistent negativity has caused many to experience different mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and chronic stress.

Persistent negativity has caused many to become clouded in their decision making abilities making it hard to see opportunities and solutions.

Persistent negativity has caused many to procrastinate, have a lack of focus, and a diminished sense of accomplishment.

The Value of a Positive Frame of Mind

To counter this, you must develop the skill of cultivating a positive frame of mind.

Yes, it is a skill that anyone can develop.

By doing so you will:

• Have improved mental health

• Enhance your resilience

• Have better physical health

• Increase your productivity

• Experience greater overall success

As a caveat, know that developing a positive frame of mind does not mean that you are ignoring or denying challenges and difficulties (that is also unhealthy).

It means that you are able to acknowledge these difficulties, and then focus on what solutions can be created from this problem.

It means developing a growth mindset (I talked about this in one of my early letters. You can read letter #008 here)

It means being able to see problems as opportunities rather than obstacles that stop you.

How to Develop a Positive Frame of Mind

The one practice I will always recommend is gratitude.

It’s so simple yet so effective.

However, just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy.

If you are used to having a negative frame of mind, doing this practice goes against months or even years of conditioning.

Here’s how I like to think about gratitude:

If I imagined that I already achieved and accomplished the biggest vision of the grandest version of my life, I would be in a state of gratitude.

So by practicing gratitude for what I have now (even if I haven’t achieved that grand version of my life yet), I am training my mind to be ready to receive it.

When you are able to appreciate what you have in your life, those things will start to appreciate in value and you will experience more of it in your life.

Here’s a way you can practice gratitude:

As you wake up, sit in silence and ponder on 3 things you can be thankful for (big or small, doesn’t matter).

Before going to bed, review the day but see it from the eyes of gratitude. What are 3 things you are thankful for for that day?

Do this for 100 days, and you will cultivate the skill of having a positive frame of mind.

This doesn’t mean that on day 101 you don’t have to practice gratitude anymore, it just becomes easier by that point.

In Conclusion

Developing a positive frame of mind is like taking a shower.

You can’t say “I don’t want to take a shower today, I already took one yesterday!”

Doesn’t really work because again, we are naturally inclined to think negatively.

If you want to live a life of joy and abundance, you need to work on developing a positive frame of mind every single day.

It’s a lifestyle.

If you want support in developing this positive frame of mind, you can always book a free kick-off conversation with me here.

I look forward to listening to your story.

All the love,
All the power,

— Zach Marañon

P.S. Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways that I can be of help to you:

1. Follow me on Instagram here if you want a source of bite-sized ideas and content that can help you reach your next level in life.

2. Book a free kick-off conversation for one-on-one coaching here if you are an entrepreneur or sales professional currently looking to create solutions to a problem or challenge in your life but you seem to be stuck.

3. Download my goal setting guide here if you are wanting to create clarity on your desired outcomes (Free until 100 downloads — and then I convert it to a paid resource).

P.P.S. If you are from the Philippines and are looking for a personal mastery workshop to help you experience growth and transformation, check out Discovery by I Am Plus Coaching and Training Systems. It’s where my journey of self evolution personally got fast-tracked.