I wanted to touch on this subject as it's been something I've been really working hard on in recent years - building and maintaining a positive outlook and working hard on my mindset. Those of you who know me well will be aware that I am a strong advocate of exercising everyday to ensure my body is able to perform at its optimum. As it transpires one of the biggest benefits to living a fit and healthy lifestyle is not only how your body responds but how your mind reacts too. Both are intrinsically linked and if you get the balance of exercise, diet and living your life right, you are mentally in great shape to take on the world (metaphorically of course!).

I read and listen to countless podcasts on how I can learn more and develop my skills in the gym/ world of fitness to improve on my own physical achievements. My learning is geared towards body composition, maximising fitness levels, a healthy nutritional diet, and more importantly of late - the psychological benefits of being healthy and viewing everything with a positive outlook. The fitness industry is full of generous individuals willing to share their knowledge for free and help you be a better version of yourself (sorry - fitness cliche there). The biggest trend that has been forging its way into the world of fitness mainstream in the last few years is the importance of mindset and how vital it is to your wellbeing. Sounds pretty obvious but you'll be surprised how many people neglect their mind and focus on their body too much - or in many case neither of the two.

This is such an all encompassing subject and I'm only really beginning to learn the basics of 'mindset'. The purpose of me writing this short article is to simply express the benefits of a positive mindset and overall positive thinking when approaching a challenge - and how the 'Positive Mindset' be used to benefit the world of Creatives.

From my own experience, almost every time my creative productivity drops, the fault invariably lies in the external factors affecting my mindset. Its all too easy to allow the negative external factors to infect one's mind. My belief is one's self awareness is key here, you need to know the triggers that affect how positive you're feeling and work at them to make sure your interaction with the negative influences are kept to an absolute minimum.

Based on my own experience, my top 5 tips for maintaining a positive mindset are:

1. Sleep. Ensure you have as much 'quality' sleep as you can everynight, ensuring you stick to a regular sleeping pattern.
2. Diet. Eating and drinking a balanced healthy diet at set regular times throughout the day is massively important in my eyes. You'll be surprised how much your diet effects the way think and impacts on your overall mindset.
3. Exercise. Sounds obvious but regular exercise is hugely beneficial for a healthy mind too.
4. Generosity. Be generous - go out of your way to help others (Do it because you can and not because you want something in return). Knowing you're helping others in what ever way you can makes a huge positive impact on your own emotional state of mind.
5. Avoid Negativity. Steer clear of negative people and their way of thinking as best you can. Of course encourage them with positivity as best you can but avoid prolonged periods being surrounded by any form of negativity - it will have a detrimental affect on your own productivity.