I feel totally inspired today by my 4 year old little boy Brendan. We were out sledging on a field near our house, a usual weekend activity at this time of year. My husband (an ex snowboard instructor) was giving a snowboard lesson to a friends daughter. After about 30 minutes of sledging and watching his Daddy showing the young girl the basics Brendan decided that he really wanted a go. He started putting his feet into the bindings of my husbands snowboard and fastening himself in. Of course we had a good chuckle at how cute he was, the snowboard was far too big for him and his feet were so wide apart! 
Brendan insisted that he wanted to have a go so my husband moved him around so he was in the right position. I was a little apprehensive (typical worried mum!) but my husband assured me that he wouldn't go very far before he was sitting on his bum.

So we were completely amazed (and full of pride) to see him sail down the hill with the perfect snowboard stance, completely unfazed by our dog chasing down beside him! 

It really showed me how much we are capable of with childhood innocence and the worries of 'but what if...' that we drag around with us as adults. 

Perhaps we should all try a little harder to shrug those worries off that are preventing us from trying new things and achieving or dreams. Focus our minds with a 'Can do' attitude and who knows we may sail our way through our challenges as easily as Brendan!

I'm sure most of us have heard about 'Positive Thinking' at some point and that we would all agree that thinking positively is a good thing. It isn't always an easy thing to do though, especially when we are going through a difficult time. We all have those days where we are feeling stressed or we are hating our job or worrying about money, and sometimes it can feel like we're hit by blow after blow of 'bad luck'. 
I'm sure a good percentage of you have used the phrase 'good things never happen to me' or 'I'm just not a lucky person' at some point in your life. Similarly we have all met people who seem to fall on their feet regardless of what obstacles are thrown at them and have such a perky attitude about things we can't help but feel a little envious at their good fortune!  

A couple of years ago I saw a documentary about the idea of Positive Thinking, I started out feeling quite sceptical about it all but by the end of it I realised what a benefit Positive Thinking could have on my life.  We are all afraid of doing something new because we don’t wait to fail. However the truth is, we can do almost anything if we take action, stop negative thinking, and change our perceptions of the truth about our abilities. 
One of the hardest things to do when trying to think more positively is to stop thinking about reasons why you can't do something and begin thinking about reasons why you can. This doesn't have to be such a huge thing though, you can start by taking small actions every day towards achieving your goal. Stop spending so much time worrying about the problem and focus your energy instead on what you can do to solve it!  

The more your train your mind to think about things in a positive way you will feel the benefits and begin to see the success your positive thoughts and actions.  Just think about it - are you more likely to be drawn to a positive person who see's life as a challenge they want to grab with both hands or a negative person who see's life as one disappointment after another? Positive and negative thinking are contagious so it is no wonder that we would prefer to be around positive people! Do you really wonder why you're struggling to get that dream job when your tone of voice, body language and general aura is telling the interviewer that you're a glass half empty type of person?! It is time to throw off that air of negativity and start telling yourself that you can do this, that you are fabulous and that opportunities are about to come your way. The power of our thoughts is extremely strong that is constantly shaping our life, it is usually done subconsciously but you can also make the process a conscious one. Stop  listening to any negative comments other people may say or think about you. Begin by visualising favourable and beneficial situations, take a moment each day to picture the positive things you want to happen in your life.  It seems a little strange at first but you have nothing to lose and the difference it can make is worth it. Whether it is visualising a new job, changes to your personal life, or starting a new project that you have always wanted to do. Think about what it is you want to happen, and more than that picture yourself in the situation where it has happened - how do you feel, what does your world look like? With persistence and determination you can change even the most negative mindset. When a negative thought enters your mind, be aware of it and replace it with a constructive one. Persistence will eventually teach your mind to think positively and ignore negative thoughts.

So start 2012 as you mean to go on, think about the New Years resolutions you have set and the things you really want to achieve this year, and instead of thinking of all the reasons why those things probably won't happen start thinking of all the reasons why they will! Create a list of all the things you ARE going to achieve and put it in a visible place such as on the fridge door. Every time you see it take a moment to think about what you are going to do to do achieve one of the things from your list and visualise how you are going to feel when your goal is achieved.

Stop underestimating how capable you are and start making your dreams a reality!
 
While I was in the process of writing this post I came across another post where someone had shared this fabulous poem and I thought it was the perfect way to end, why not replace the 'he' to your name and use it as your mantra for the year ahead! :

It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, as he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one we know has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you’ll do it.