21-Day Positive Thinking Challenge

How many years have you been stuck in the negative mindset? If you answered, “More than I would like to admit,” then it is likely you are going to need a boost on changing how you think. That is why, this 21-day challenge was created.

Sometimes people need a helping hand. They want to change, but the day-to-day challenges of life, combined with deciding what they need to change in their mindset, can be overwhelming. Follow along on this 21-day challenge and at the end, you will be completely set up in regards to seeing life in a totally different light.

The challenge should be done like this. Read all 21 days first. Think about what pieces you need to accomplish and then start mentally planning it out. Begin the first day, already knowing there are days where you have to take some serious action.

The positive mindset is just around the corner. Go get it.

Day 1

Having clarity about who you are and what you stand for is essential. Today you will grab a notebook and write down what your beliefs are about yourself. Do you believe you are a good person who is grateful for what they have and want to share with others? Or are you unhappy with what your life holds and want others to feel bad too?

Do you believe you do not have the right to succeed, based on where you came from? For example, Tony Robbins talks about two brothers, one who is successful and one who is in prison. When asked why they are at that place in their life, both replied, “Well my father went to prison when I was young, so what other life could I have had?” Clearly one brother saw that he needed to change and make sure to do all the right things to have a positive mindset and live life to the fullest.

You need to examine the things you believe about yourself, and if you spot something that needs to be changed, write down how and when you will do it.

Day 2

Having goals keeps your mind active and sharp. You are clear on what you want in life, and since you will be writing S.M.A.R.T. goals today, you will know if they are relevant to you and what the timeline is for accomplishing them.

When you read these goals over every day, it will strengthen the positive mindset you are building because you will have laser-sharp focus on what is important in your life.

Day 3

Different words have different meanings to people. The word “amazing” might be overworked in your mind, and it might not drive you.

Today you will look up a list of positive words that you can use every day. Pick words that make your spine tingle when you read them. For some people, the word “absolutely,” said with conviction, stirs their blood. You may find another word similar to "absolutely" that does the same for you.

Get a list of at least 20 positive words. Next, write down some of the words you use in a negative context frequently. Put a thin line through the center of each negative word. Over the crossed out word, write your new word in bold letters.

From now on, that negative word will no longer cross your mind or slip from your mouth.

Day 4

This won’t be an easy day, but it has to be done. Today you are going to write down the mistakes you have made in the past. As well, write down the people who have done you wrong. For example, if you squandered money for years on gambling or you had a friend who stole something from you, today is the day to write it down. Look at each one carefully and then say out loud, “I forgive myself for making the mistake of spending my hard-earned money and gambling and losing it all.” “I forgive John for taking my long-time girlfriend from me.”

Each mistake by you and by others who hurt you needs to be forgiven today and then forgotten forever. Erase them from your mind and make room for an abundance of positive thoughts.

Day 5

You will buy at least two journals today. One will be for visualization and the other for gratitude. Starting with the visualization journal, you need to find a quiet space. Wear noise-cancelling headphones if necessary to keep your focus.

Sit back and relax, using your mind as a movie screen. See yourself up on the screen, accomplishing what you need to do in order to have a positive mindset. This could be seeing just yourself standing on a stage giving a powerful talk about how you are the most positive person in the world. You could put two chairs on a stage in your mind.

See yourself talking to the former you about why you made massive changes and thanking your former self for allowing these changes to happen, without being blocked. Go a step further and see yourself in 5 or 10 years, having set goals and achieving them due to your very positive mindset.

Day 6

Today is notebook day. Everyone should have notebooks. Writing stuff down is far more powerful than typing it into a notepad on your computer. Sit back and relax and think about the most positive thing you have ever done in your life. Did you serve someone else, perhaps the poor at a Christmas dinner? Did you help a teen overcome a huge problem in their life, playing a role model for them to look up to? Pick the best one. Now under that write down how you felt. Find every emotion that came to you at the time and put that on paper. When you see the situation in your mind again, is it bright and clear? Is it more brilliant than anything you have experienced before? Make notes of any colors or sounds that are associated with this memory. It could be a certain song that seems to be in the back of your mind that motivates you to be positive. If so, get that on paper so you can pull that song memory up anytime you need a dose of positivity in your life. You want to make it clear in your mind that you have experienced a “life high” and now know how to reproduce that feeling on demand.

Day 7

You should have a gratitude journal by now. This one is important because you will be making an entry every day, starting right now. Picking a time for journaling is very important so that you don’t forget to write down your gratitude and get a booster for the day. There are so many things to be grateful for. It is easy to write down the simple things first to get you going. You are thankful for waking up today. You are blessed to have good food, family and friends. From the simple ones, move to the newest experiences you have that make you feel grateful. Did you feed a homeless person for the first time? If so, you should be grateful for the opportunity to give back.

Day 8

Speaking of the homeless or those others in need, today can be an exciting day for you. A way to build your gratitude and positive attitude is to make a large number of sandwiches. Take the sandwiches and bottled water to the area where you normally see a homeless person in your area. Offer them the food and drink rather than dropping coins in a hat. Take a few minutes to speak to these people and show some compassion for the life they are currently living. Very few people choose to become addicted or homeless, and when they do, they lose a little bit of their life, piece by piece. You can make them feel human again, and this, in turn, should make you feel very positive and that you are a person of love and compassion. This is a feeling that everyone needs to experience.

Day 9

Write down your top three challenges that stop you from having a positive mindset and how you are going to reframe them. Are you in chronic pain? If so, how does that currently affect your mindset and what will you do to give the pain you feel daily a different meaning? It may sound silly, but being in pain means you are alive and not gone from this world. You can be thankful for pain and use it as a motivator to get things done and teach others how to do the same. Is your challenge one that comes from a financial standpoint? Write it down and reframe what money troubles mean to you. It should mean you are able to spend money, so you should be able to save money and increase the monthly money you make by working part-time from home.

Day 10

Today you write down the past rejections you had, either in relationships or work. Next, you will write down what you should have said at the time and what you will say if it occurs again. For example, if you were rejected by someone you were attracted to and it left you depressed, write that down. Now write down a positive way to respond to the same rejection. “I am happy you rejected me, because you are not meant for me. The person who deserves me is coming soon, and at least you won’t be in the way.” Do that for as many times you have felt rejection… even in the workplace, if you were passed over for a job promotion. You need to cement it in your mind that you are worthy and nothing that anyone can say will make you feel rejection. Instead, you wear a suit of invisible armor that rejection bounces off of and never comes back.

Day 11

While breathing comes normally, many people struggle with breathing that powers you up and puts a lot of oxygen into your body and brain.

The best way to learn how to breathe during meditation or to how to power breathe for positive thinking is to use YouTube. There are plenty of videos on every type of technique known to man.

Power breathing to inhale and exhale works wonders. Be careful at first, as you are not used to having this much oxygen in your body. Do the breathing with someone close to you, in case the first time or two you feel light-headed. You will get the hang of it with practice.

Power breathing upon waking will get that blood flowing and the brain screaming, “Yes, yes, let’s get at it.” Add this to your daily routine.

Day 12

Good posture is essential. If you walk around with your head down and shoulders slumped, you aren’t getting full air to your lungs. It is head up and shoulders back with a smile on your face for a positive mindset.

Today, you will make note of when your posture is out of whack. Write it down. Why did you slump on the couch and not realize you not only were inhibiting air flow, but also putting pressure on your spine? Take a look at the end of the day, and if this looks like an issue, you need to address it pronto. Find a way to sit straight at home and at work.

There are posture correcting devices and chairs that you can buy to help solve this issue. Find time to flex your spine and have it loose and mobile. Take a walk today and practice walking tall and proud. Pretend you have a glass of water on your head, and if you slump, it drops to the concrete. Your posture and the way you walk mean a great deal to your positive mindset.

Day 13

When you eat poorly, it disrupts your entire system. It can impact your blood sugar and in turn, allow depression to creep in. On this day, you will look closely at how you have been eating and decide what needs to be eliminated/added to your daily meals.

Since it is quite easy to get off track with eating properly, you will draw up a 30-day meal plan. This should take you about 30-60 minutes, and it is worth it.

Not only will you improve your mindset, you will probably drop some unnecessary weight as well as set yourself up for successful eating in the future.

You need to stop thinking of eating as something you simply “do.” Instead, think of it as fueling stops during the day to make your physical body and brain run on high power.

There are a number of ways of eating well without going full blown into a diet like keto or eating for your blood type. A super simple solution is to increase the greens and lower the meat portions per meal.

Add lots of fruit throughout the day as snacks. If you want to bump that idea up, look online for, “eating six meals a day.” You won’t be hungry and you will be putting great food into your body. With the right amounts of greens, good fats and lean protein, your mindset will be much better than those who frequently consume fast food or food straight from the can at home.

Sit down today and make a brief note of what each meal will be per day for 30 days straight.

Day 14

As we have all heard, proper hydration is essential for health, and this includes brain health as water makes up a large portion of the brain.

Sadly, some have become addicted to buying bottled water. Many of the bottled water companies produce bottled water that is of poor quality and sell lots of it due to the packaging and advertising. Plastic water bottles are discarded by many people, and this impacts the environment. The easy way to have lots of water on hand and enjoy it is to put your own together. If you don’t have any large glass jugs, today would be the day to purchase them. Boil water and fill it to the top, then let the water sit to cool. Once it is cool, add sliced lemons and some ginger. This gives it a great flavor, and the vitamin C and potassium in the lemon alone is brain food. The ginger is a bonus.

It has been said that water is best at room temperature, as cold water can shock the system. If you decide not to refrigerate your water, make sure you consume quickly and make a new batch, as you don’t want the lemon and ginger sitting at room temperature for days on end.

Drinking plenty of water has many health benefits and can lower blood pressure, so it is important not to skip this step. Get rid of the other beverages and stick to one cup of coffee or tea per day.

Day 15

If you aren’t already walking daily, you start today. Make sure to have great sneakers that give you support. Pick weather-appropriate clothing and a hat, as a gentle rain or even some snow should not stop you from getting out.

Decide if you need anything extra like striding sticks if you have some balance issues. If possible while walking, swing your arms and get lots of movement in your upper shoulders. Get deep breaths of air into your lungs and have a good positive talk with yourself. In an encouraging voice, congratulate yourself for taking action and becoming a positive thinker.

Any positive thought that you can say or think is what you want while walking. If it is gratitude for the flowers, birds and perhaps bees that you see along the way, by all means… be grateful. It is wonderful to be alive, active and have a positive mindset.

Day 16

Today, you decide who your mentor is going to be. Do you know someone personally that can fill that role? They are positive thinkers and love to share their thoughts with others. If not, today you think about who inspires you with their mindset. Try to find someone who is written about frequently or that has a a number of videos available that you can watch and take notes on. Examine how they move and how they use different tones in their voice to get their message across. Discover what their belief systems are. Here are two people you could use as a start. Try Les Brown, or go back a bit and discover Tony Robbins mentor, Jim Rohn—who is credited with making Tony the person he is today.

Day 17

One of the most important books you should have on hand is Dr. Shad Helmstetter’s What to Say When You Talk to Yourself. This book is a masterpiece on how to delete your past negative thoughts about yourself and, just like a computer, install a new way of thinking. You can override the negative language floating around in your head and see yourself in a new positive light.

To really make this book work for you, read it once and then set it aside for a few days while your subconscious mind works on it in the background. When you read it the second time, underline important phrasing and make some positive notes alongside your favorite passages.

A secondary way of doing it if your budget at this present moment is extremely tight is to get a copy from the library and then a fresh notebook. Write out the lines that resonate with you and then make your notes. Reread this book monthly and let it soak in.

Day 18

Now that you have started your home library of personal development books by following challenge #17, don’t stop there.

As budget permits, pick up a book a month or every second month. Again, budget will play a part for some folks, so here is a suggestion. Before you buy a book, read it first via the library. Go now and pick up one book by Les Brown, Tony Robbins or Brian Tracy. Read the book and see if it speaks to you.

Not everyone will get the same message from one book. This will keep you from spending money on a book, you may not finish. You want only quality books in your library that you know you will pick up over and over again.

The same thing goes for audio. Start today and get a positive mindset audio, either purchased or borrowed from the library. Listen to it while you work out, drive in your car or about an hour from hitting the bed. Playing this audio before bedtime will help calm your mind and set it up to work on the positive messages while you sleep.

Day 19

This is the day, you get out and meet positive minded people. You will research and find a meetup of positive minds who want to share tips and strategies. You can use this meeting two-fold. Firstly, you are there to learn and grow, plus you may also be able to help someone who is totally struggling and does not have any idea how to really get to where they need to be.

Second, meetups can also be networking and friend finding missions.

You might have a business and find a new partner or make a new friend that you can spend time with doing positive things like hiking or going to self-development seminars together. The meetup strategy is very powerful, and here is a link to show you what to look for:

Day 20

As you did a meetup and were impressed by other people, today is the time to look at your current situation. Are you happy in your job? Is it a positive atmosphere with lots of potential for advancement. Or is your job severely lacking in positive people, especially management?

Do you want to start an online biz part-time? Or do you want to stay in the workforce but find a job that is far more rewarding and excites you every day?

The meetup you attended yesterday can be a potential new job hunt or even a complete career switch.

Day 21

You are now ready to rock and roll in the positive thinking department. The last day of the challenge is going to be an hour of practising your breathing, combined with physiology, so that you can start tomorrow with a bang. To start with, change into some comfortable gym or yoga gear and good running shoes.

Find a spot where you can move unhindered. You will start out with doing some deep breathing to get oxygen into the body. Once you start to feel a positive tingle in your body, step forward and bring your right foot up and down hard as you can, without, of course, injury. As you do this, stop, clench your fists, and drive your hands out to the front, and as loud as you can, shout, “I am amazing!” Repeat this 10 times. Feel that positive emotion racing through your body.

Now if, for any reason, stomping is not going happen (living in a condo, perhaps), then change the stomp to having your left hand open, and with your right fist closed, bring it with some force into the palm of the left hand.

You want your body to emphasize with passion what your brain and mouth are saying. Try another one. Do the same breathing, and when ready, clap your hands together and with a huge smile, say, “Life is fantastic.”

Feel free to use any positive saying that suits you. The above is only an example to get you started. You are now a positive-minded person with focus and clarity on the amazing life you have ahead of you.