The power of positive thinking… We’ve all heard about this popular concept and it may sound a little cliche, but bottom line is that positive thinking has many physical as well as mental benefits that have been proven by an array of scientific studies. Positive thinking has the power to improve your mood, give you more confidence and may even reduce the occurrence of depression and other stress-related disorders.
We always strive to see the positive in life, but we also know that it isn’t always easy. All our lives are filled with challenges that make it hard for us to stay positive at times. However, choosing to be positive can help you to become the person you want to be. Even when things are tough, staying positive and striving to make the best out of every situation does make a huge difference and helps us to overcome any obstacle that life throws at us.
Staying positive doesn’t always come naturally – in fact, our brain is wired towards negativity as a survival mechanism – but we firmly believe that it is possible to train yourself to gain a positive attitude.
Here are our TOP 10 tips to see the positive in life.
#1 Desire Positivity
First things first… Before you can work on becoming a positive person, you have to have a burning desire to be positive. To cultivate that strong desire, you have to be convinced that thinking positive and having a positive attitude will enhance the quality of your life. Positivity attracts positivity. Once you are a positive person, people start to trust you, random strangers will be more polite to you and you will have a much better relationship with everyone you encounter.
#2 Believe Positivity is a Choice
Most people believe that you are either born positive or negative and blame negativity on outside forces. Take a moment to really think about it, because reality is that you can choose to be positive. It is possible to make a conscious choice to see the positive in life and train yourself for positivity. Whatever happens in your life, no situation is good or bad, but how you think about it makes it so. Stop pointing fingers and placing the blame on everything and everybody. Instead, realize that you are in control of your attitude and you can choose how you feel about any given situation.
#3 Get Rid of Negativity in Your Life
If you want to think, be and live a positive and joyful life, you have to rid your life of all the negativity that doesn’t support and encourage you. Once you decide to be positive, let go off all the negative people and influences in your life. Take stock of your life and get rid off everything and everybody that is dragging you down. And it’s not just people and things, have a good hard look at your thoughts, habits and behaviors and examine which support your positive life and which aren’t good for you.
#4 Cultivate a Positive Environment
To think positive and be positive is largely influenced by who you choose to spend your time with and the input you get from things like the internet, magazines and TV. It is imperative to choose wisely what you let into your mind and make sure that you have positive influences in your life that lift you up and support you. Consider the people and sources of information you surround yourself with and fill your life with the most positive environment you can create.
#5 Start Your Day in a Positive Way
The way you start your day sets the tone for how the rest of the day will unfold. So be mindful about how your spend your mornings. If you let all your troubles stress your mind and you go full speed rushing into your day, it’s a downward spiral from there. However, if you start your day slowly, reading something inspirational or watching a motivational movie, have an uplifting conversation with a friend or your family and listen to an empowering podcast on your way to work, you will set yourself up for positivity all day long.
#6 Focus on the Positive in Your Life
Challenges and obstacles are impossible to avoid. The next time you experience a challenge, focus on the positive no matter how small or unimportant it may seem. For example if the subway is stalled and not moving at all, be grateful that you get the extra time to finish listening to your podcast. Or if the farmer’s market is out of your favorite food, consider the excitement of trying something new. There is always a nugget of positivity in every situation, sometimes you just have to look harder to find it. Remember, it’s your choice to be positive, so choose to focus on the positive in any challenge that comes your way.
#7 See Failures as Life Lessons
It is a fact of life that none of us are perfect and we are going to make mistakes and experience failure in all kinds of different situations and with a multitude of people. Instead of focusing on what went wrong and beating yourself up about it, turn your mistake or failure into a life lesson and consider how you are going to handle the same or a similar situation the next time. Use the failure as the incredible opportunity to learn and grow that it is and extract the valuable lessons learned.
#8 Focus on the Present
To stay positive it is important to focus on the present moment, this exact moment in time you are living in right now. Don’t think about a comment someone else made five minutes ago or wonder what will happen next. Just focus on this one single moment that you have right now. You will realize that this present moment is not at all as bad as you imagined. Keep in mind, most sources of negativity stem from your memory or exaggerated imagination of potential events in the future. Forget the past and the future and stay right here right now in the present moment.
#9 Practice Self-Love
Positivity starts within yourself. Being positive has very little to do with what’s going in the world around you and everything to do with your inner world. The one thing that makes it much easier to be and stay positive, is when you feel good about yourself. Love yourself and believe in yourself, otherwise it can be very challenging to find a genuinely positive attitude about life. To cultivate self-love, take stock of all the things that you love about yourself… your talents, strengths, skills, and achievements. And learn to forgive yourself for past mistakes or weaknesses instead of beating yourself up over something that has gone wrong. Show yourself some love by practicing self-care on a regular basis and treat yourself like you would your best friend.
#10 Share Positivity with Others
It may sound like basic common sense, but to live a positive life, you not only need to be positive with yourself, but you need to share your positivity with others. The simplest way to do this is to be nice to other people no matter what. Give someone a compliment, tell them they did a great job, tell them how much you love and appreciate them and how happy you are they are in your life. Write a note, send some chocolate and be kind to everyone you encounter.
Approaching life with a positive attitude makes a profound difference on how happy and content you are. Not only that, if we can stay positive, our life actually flows with a lot more ease and our positivity can spill over and affect other people’s life positively as well. Like everything else in life, staying positive takes practice, but it is accessible to all of us.
CHOOSE TO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE AND MOVE YOURSELF CLOSER TOWARDS HAPPINESS
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked