Followers of this blog are aware of some of the most important principles underlying mental fitness which include a healthy sense of self-worth plus a generous dose of optimism!  With that in mind, let’s start the first Mental Fitness Challenge!

This challenge involves a course of endurance.   The task is to eliminate all negativity from your thoughts and speech.  That’s it!  For three days, be on high alert for negative words or thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

Positive thinking may sound easy but it is actually harder than you think.  I know this because I have tried it and somehow, negativity creeps in when I least expect!  When it arises through self-doubt, I say to myself “Oh, it’s you again.”  I counter the negative thought with a positive one, saying “That is not true.  I can do this and I can do it very well.”  Then, I act upon it to prove the negative voice wrong.  Doing this repeatedly is necessary to quiet the negativity.

Let me know if you accept this challenge by commenting on this post.  Join the discussion on Twitter at #MentalFitChallenge.  I am very interested in hearing about your progress and if you achieve three days of negative-free thinking quite easily, extend the duration.  Remember this is not a competition.  You are only seeking to improve yourself.

Before you start, I have one tip to help you succeed and it is a very important one.  Arm yourself with lots of positive statements such as “I am smart enough to … “, “I am capable of …”, and “I will complete … “, to counter the negativity that arises.

Are you ready?  Get set … Go!  I will be on the sidelines cheering you on, passing positive affirmations just like revitalizing water is passed to marathon runners.   BE POSITIVE!