For some, positivity is a conscious choice.
For others, it comes naturally.
I think I sit somewhere between the two. I am an optimist in almost all situations but I can also be a bit moody/grumpy/volatile/temperamental. The last two weeks I’ve been mainly grumpy/irritable, and not been able to work out why. It happens to all of us I guess! I don’t know what’s caused it.
I actually wrote an email yesterday and had it scheduled in for 7am this morning as usual, but late last night I stopped it because it just felt a bit negative and moany. That was the moment I realised my general mindset wasn’t in a good place at the moment.
So I’ve decided to have a major mental spring clean for the second half of this week.
What’s a mental spring clean, I hear you cry from the rooftops! Well here’s what I’m doing:
1/ I’ve ended my latest attempt to get along with Facebook groups. Me and Facebook groups just don’t get along at all so now I’m in zero of them again. I don’t know why but I get too easily offended in them, especially when my mood is maybe a bit lower than usual. That happened this week. Not nice. I try to be very aware when things cause me negative feelings and make a change ASAP. I may even deactivate my Facebook account if you can do that and still manage your Facebook business pages and use messenger.
2/ Following on from last week’s “CYFI” email. My inbox is empty but now I’m optimising my email folders for max efficiency and making sure I’m not keeping anything that I don’t need. I have two folders called “to do” and “misc” and they’re the electronic equivalent of the ‘crap drawer/cupboard’ we all have in our houses! They need to go!
3/ I’m clearing out my desktop and downloads folders, as well as emptying my whatsapps, imessages and facebook messages. This one might seem a little pointless but I know how much my brain loves a clean slate.
4/ I’m getting my accounts done up to 31st March which is the end of my tax year. I use Xero for bookkeeping so they’re actually already done up to mid Feb, but I’ll get them done now so my accountant can let me know what the damage will be for my tax bills later this year. I’d rather know now so I can budget and be ready.
5/ I’m giving my office a major spring tidy and clean. My office is tiny, and has a lot of tech and stuff in it, but it’s pretty well organised. It’s just a bit scruffy and messy at the moment. A really clean office just makes me want to sit in here and work.
6/ I’m going to start a new morning exercise routine. I love staying in bed in the mornings – It’s my favourite thing, but as things get busier it’s not ideal so I’m going to replace that with a good daily effort in the home garage gym that I spent far too much money on during lockdown 3 last year, when gym equipment cost about 4x what it normally costs! I used it religiously every day until May last year then stopped… I really need to make it pay! My wedding clothes are a liiiittle on the tight side.
Positivity and creativity go hand in hand — it’s why I called my podcast “The Positive Creatives” because I know it’s an effort for me to stay positive, and I want to help other people conquer positivity too. I don’t know about you but I find it hard to be my best creative self when I’m in a bad mood!
Let me know if there’s something you’d like to see in next week’s email… I’m open to ideas or questions!
Just to let you know I’ve also started working on a few short online courses, a long online course, and I’m toying with the idea of some kind of real-life event(s) and maybe even a retreat-kinda-thing.
Thanks for reading, keep on clicking.
Until next week.
Adam
PS – I’m shooting a footballer’s wedding soon. Quite excited about it as I’m a huge football fan, however as you may have noticed if you have any knowledge of early 2000s Premier League, I share my name with a disgraced Premier League footballer who did jail time for a very awful crime… it’s been a problem for anyone with my name ever since. I’ve had nasty messages on Facebook and Instagram constantly over the years just for having my name. One time, at a wedding, the groom and groomsmen thought it was funny to do Adam Johnson chants at me all day long. My professionalism was tested that day, and I’m a bit concerned it’ll be the same at this upcoming wedding but this time with actual famous people leading the humiliation… or am I just overthinking it and it’ll be fine?! Tell me it’s going to be fine! Or is there time to change my name?! (not kidding I actually considered it at one point in time).
PPS – I’ve quit most sugar intake since the weekend. I wonder if that’s caused my mood to nosedive. I have a TERRIBLE relationship with sugar, so bad. It actually worries me at times!
