In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a pretty “smiley” person. People always ask me, “how do you stay so positive?” The reality is that I don’t always feel good or optimistic, but over the years I’ve started practicing some strategies to help me maintain a positive attitude. I thought it would be a good idea to summarize my positivity pointers into 5 tips to share with you guys. Here they go…
- Focus on Self-improvement – “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are” – Anais Nin. I love this quote because it’s so brutally honest. Usually if our outlook on life is negative, it’s because we have chosen to cultivate negative energy. On the flip side, if we focus on improving ourselves (i.e. getting physically fit, growing spiritually, developing a skill, being a better a friend, etc.) we can naturally develop a more positive outlook.
- Avoid Negative People – I know I sound like a broken record, but negative people are like deathly toxins. You know who I’m talking about…that one person who no matter if they won the lottery, landed a dream job or found the love of their life would still only see the downside of the situation. Unfortunately, we can’t control other people. We can only control ourselves. So it’s in our best interest to identify these negative people and stay as far away from them as possible.
- Write down your Happy Moments – This one is simple. Just a take moment at the end of each day and write down 3 good things that happened. This habit has magical positivity powers!
- Serve Someone – Often we can be “Debbie Downers” because we are too focused on our own lives and our own problems. Sometimes, simply focusing all of our energy on helping someone else and understanding their needs provides an instant pick me up. Better yet, we can help someone else while helping ourselves. Finding a way to serve others also helps us identify our purpose in life because ultimately we are all here to help each other. And when we feel that our lives have purpose, it’s a lot easier to be positive.
- Say a Motivational Morning Mantra – My late grandmother (we called her Mudear) would always says that the first 5 minutes of your day set the tone for the rest of the day. I’m not sure that this claim is based in science, but if an old country woman says it, I believe it. The best way to take control of your day is wake up and recite, out loud, a positive mantra. Now a mantra is simply a positive affirmation stating something that you believe (or want to believe) to be true. For instance ,”I am enough.” “Today is the best day of my life.” “I am loved.” You get the gist. There’s extra power in reciting these mantras out loud rather than just thinking them in your head. Go ahead and give it a whirl tomorrow morning 🙂
Wishing you week filled with good vibes and positive energy! Post a comment and let us know if you are going to incorporate any of these tips into your daily routine. xoxo, Brit
