I am very excited to be writing this “positive” article for so many of you. It is primarily aimed for those of you who may lack positivity in your life. Ideas included here will help you find ways to overcome difficulties with optimism. It is also perfect for those of you who just want to lift themselves up a little for a positive moment. I want to begin by making a very controversial statement:
Positivity is a choice, not a result of the current state of affairs.
Life is such that there are ups and downs to almost every decision you make and every situation beyond your power. This is something you cannot change. However, what you can do is to change the way you approach these moments in life. There are two ways to do this: either approach life with a negative mindset or see it through rose-tinted glasses. The latter means to look at your life positively.
It means to embrace whatever life throws at you and keep moving forward with a positive mindset despite the hardships. Choosing to be positive comes easier if you can develop a powerful personality and learn to take the irony of life with a dash of humour. What’s the benefit? – This approach will speed up the quality of your life and it will take you onto a new level of happiness. So, how do you fix yourself a pair of those rose-tinted glasses?–follow the approach detailed below.
General approach:
Leave the past behind, but remember its lessons
Dwelling on the sad past events will leave you miserable. Try not to reminisce over them too much or if you can, avoid thinking about them completely. The only magnificent thing about the past is its lessons. Making mistakes is known to be the best way to learn. This also applies very much so to life lessons. Try to remember those but without the emotional pain associated with them. It gets easier with time.
Live in the moment
There’s no better time like the present! This applies to almost anything in life. The magic of the present moment is such that no matter what the situation, you can handle it there and then. Regrets are in the past, worries are in the future, but the present moment is free of all such negative emotions. It is just you and the world as you are the protagonist of your very own story. You decide what to do in your life and it is your decision to be positive rather than negative.
Don’t worry about the future, but plan for it
Thinking about what may or may not happen will drive you crazy. If you are like me and have an innate tendency for excessive worrying about the future; learning mindfulness and living in the present may be your only way out! Living in the present does not mean living recklessly, like if there was no tomorrow. It means to be fully engaged in the present moment and embrace the future as it comes.
Making plans can indeed be useful and is often necessary. The point is to avoid excessive worrying about things that are beyond your power. Allow yourself to plan for many different scenarios as to avoid getting surprised by uncertain life events. Remember, things don’t always go according to your ideal. Generally however, everything works out in the end and often better than we could have ever hoped.
Guidelines:
Take life, a step at a time
You only have one pair of hands and there is only so much you can do. Consider breaking challenges into bite-size chunks and make them easier to cope with. The accomplishment of one task leads to the next one and so on. If you take life as it comes, you will be much more positive and happy.
Take care of yourself
Have you ever heard of “the hierarchy of human needs” that are portrayed in the form of a pyramid? No? – Check out this article to find out! It perfectly illustrates the basic needs of a human being. It may sound trivial but I can’t stress enough the importance of a delightful meal, exercise and sleep. Respect your body, take care of it and it will serve as a foundation for your new life filled with positivity.
Surround yourself with positive people
Emotions are contagious. This is true for both the negative and the positive ones. If you are trying to be more optimistic, surrounding yourself with positive people will drive you to be the same. Whenever they smile – you smile; when they laugh – you laugh, and every time you are with them, you feel happy. Check out this article on how to attract positive people in your life.
Always question the negative and undermine it
Whenever a negative thought or worry comes to your mind, question it. Find excuses to sabotage the credibility of negative thoughts. These excuses don’t have to be reasonable nor viable. All you need is to convince your mind that the upsetting idea is fraudulent and therefore not worth your time and energy. Master this approach and you will see your life turning positive right in front of your eyes.
See the glass half full
Focus your attention on the positive things in life as much as possible. Don’t worry about how many or few of these you experience. Remember to cherish them for their quality rather than the quantity. Another thing is to find an optimistic viewpoint in every situation. No matter how hard things get, see the opportunities that unravel.
Don’t be narrow-minded, but acknowledge the blessings during the tough times and look outside the box to find the balance and harmony in life. Its beauty presents itself in the possibilities that open to you after every decision you make. Enjoy choosing amongst the plenty the Universe has to offer!
There’s nothing to fear
Another obstacle on your way to realising a positive mindset is fear. Don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from achieving your dreams. Fear appears by many unreasonable doubts and misconceptions. It is important that you realise this and focus on changing your approach to the resultant fear. Try using your rational mind to undermine those doubts and manifest a solid peace in your heart. Remember, the future may be unknown but no matter the outcome, it will always be full of fresh opportunities for you to take advantage of.
Have goals !
Having nothing to strive for is very demotivating and hence depressing. I encourage you to have many goals. Small ones, big ones, milestones… What’s important here is to have all your goals prioritized, so that you can focus on the ones that truly matter to you. You may not have the time to carry out all that you set yourself to achieve. Life is too short after all! Staying focused on your dreams ensures that you have the time to accomplish what really matters in your life. What’s more rewarding and enjoyable than seeing your dreams coming true? Need an efficient prioritization strategy? Check out this article for more info.
Gratitude
Take a look around you. Can you count all the blessings life has gifted you with? Do you notice them at all? Often we think other people have it easier, that somehow they were born under a lucky star and have no issues in life whatsoever. This is until we get to know these fortunate people closer and we find out about their struggles and difficulties. There’s not a single person in the world that doesn’t have challenges. They can be what we call real issues; like lack of food or trivial issues; like what dress am I going to wear to this party?
Instead of looking at things in a negative light, count the blessings you have and be thankful. Gratitude has a power to fill your life with positivity. And as the old saying teaches: noticing the wonderful things, let’s you experience more of them; you may be lucky to get more than your share of the enjoyable things in life.
It’s the Journey that counts, not the destination
Ask yourself where you are heading. What do you want to achieve in life? What truly matters to you? Re-evaluate the life you are living. Are you happy with it or would you like to change some parts of it? Why, to live your life in sadness when you can transform it into a pleasant one by choosing to be positive. Life is so short and so precious that it is a great shame to waste it. Follow the steps outlined in this article and transform your life into a positive adventure. Remember, it is the journey that counts, not the destination.
