40 Ways to Find a Positive Mindset

You have a day of prospecting calls ahead. You need to grow your financial planning business, but you’re really not in the mood to chase people down, build rapport, and communicate your value. 

Stop. Step away from the phone.

Calling prospects while struggling with a negative mindset is a horrible idea. The human being on the other end of the line will not like you nor will they give you their business. Not only will you waste your time, but you’ll waste precious opportunities you could otherwise close with a better mindset. 

A positive mind is a powerful mind. It will give you confidence in yourself and in your offering, allowing you to better sell your services. Your prospects will sense your positivity, and you both might just enjoy the conversation—a layup for closing the deal.

For days like this, you need a reliable tactic in your back pocket for getting in the right frame of mind. I surveyed 30 people about how they do this and got 40 answers—ranging broadly from “sit in a quiet place” to “sing loudly”. It seems everyone has a unique trick or two that works for them. If you haven’t found yours yet, consider trying a few of these until you land on one that works consistently for you.

40 Ways to Find a Positive Mindset

1. Sit in a quiet place
2. Work out 
3. Keep a gratitude journal
4. Go for a walk with your partner

“I make sure that I always go for a long walk with my wife because my most important relationship is with my wife. I get a little bit of fresh air and it just gets me to clear my mind from the day. I look forward to my walk every single night.” - Trevor Oseen, Planswell Chief Financial Officer

5. Keep a clean home
6. FaceTime with friends
7. Jam to tunes
8. Stay away from toxic people

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” - Helen Keller, American Author

9. Attend church
10. Meditate 
11. Watch the sunrise
12. Look at water and envision your stress flowing away 

“I like looking at water. It suits me if it's a big body of water, then my problem seems very tiny. And if it's a fast stream, then I just push my stress into it and watch the water take it away. I go every day, look at the water, and everything is better. It's not always helpful, but it is never harmful.” - Tamara Antonijevic , Illustrator

13. Watch movies
14. Sing loudly
15. Clean your desk/surroundings
16. Purposely enjoy a black coffee

“I try to reserve a certain amount of time every day to have at least one good black coffee.  I just enjoy that drink for a little while and very purposefully not do anything else. I compel myself for those few minutes to have nothing else to think about other than what's going on in my life, at the moment, and do some earnest self reflection.” - Shaun Esau, Planswell Software Developer

17. Complete a task
18. Smile
19. Avoid negative speech
20. Take up Brazilian Ju Jitsu

“There is nothing to make your problems feel small like another grown man trying to choke you to death.” -Scott Gill, Planswell Chief Compliance Officer

21. Play league team sports
22. Recite positive affirmations
23. Watch comedy TV
24. Immerse yourself in nature 

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” - Martin Luther, 16th-Century Monk & Theologian

25. Work on a creative project
26. Set goals
27. Take a screen break
28. Plan & prepare a good meal 

“On Saturday or Sunday afternoons, I spend a lot of time researching a ton of different recipes and then like two hours later, I finally make it out to the store and then spend an hour and a half finding all the ingredients. Then it takes another couple of hours to cook the thing. By the time I'm done, even if it doesn't turn out the best, it still tastes good because I'm really, really hungry and throughout that entire process, I enjoyed focusing on something that's brand new to me.” - Lukasz Merzdik, Planswell Head of Sales

29. Practice yoga
30. Celebrate a win, no matter how small
31. Create a positive mood board with inspirational quotes, treasured photos, etc 
32. Dance

“I have a couple of buddies that workout together on Zoom, and every so often we will look up random dance styles to try out as workouts. It's really hard to be in a bad mood after we've all just made complete fools of ourselves.” - Danielle Johnson, Planswell Account Executive

33. Get vitamin D/sunshine 
34. Do volunteer work
35. Be curious about what is going on with others
36. Get outside

“I like to get out and walk my dog. It really puts me in the right headspace and I get some sun. I feel that getting outside, even in cold weather,  is actually kind of liberating and I like to be around my animals. It’s one of the best things for me to keep things in check.” -Vanessa Robinson, Planswell Account Executive

37. Read (Check out the recommended reading list from Planswell CEO Eric Arnold)
38. Journal daily intentions
39. Play games with friends
40. Stay busy

“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” - Lucille Ball, Actress & Comedian

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that a persistent negative mindset could indicate an underlying mental health problem. In that case, a qualified mental health professional will be far more helpful than 1-40 above. I’ve heard endless success stories about cognitive behavioral therapy and various anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications. There is no shame in going this route. We all need to prioritize our mental health in any way necessary.

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