This article was last updated on March 21, 2017
Approaching your life with positivity makes a profound difference to how peaceful and happy you are.
Not only that, but life actually unfolds with more ease and flow when we bring a positive attitude. Other people and life respond to our positivity.
While many people know this, it’s one thing to know the power of being positive, and it’s another thing to actually be it and do it.
That’s because daily life can be A LOT to handle at times. As much as life is filled with awesome experiences, possibilities, opportunities and adventure, it’s also busy, noisy, demanding and challenging. So it’s certainly not easy to always be positive.
And while it may not be easy, it is entirely possible, and well worth the effort.
Like anything in life, how to be positive all the time takes practise.
Positive people are usually positive because of two very specific things. They didn’t get that way by mistake…
- They’ve CHOSEN to be positive, because it feels better than dropping into negativity
- They’ve consciously PRACTISED being positive, in order to build that capability
It’s not that you’re born a positive or negative person. And it’s not that some people are more capable of being positive than others. In fact, it’s not even your life situation, skills, talents, resources, challenges or blessings that make it easier or more difficult to be positive. Though on the surface it may look that way.
Being positive is entirely a choice, and a practise. And you only need two things in order to succeed at being positive in your life, and therefore to feel more peaceful and happy…
- Awareness
- Free will
The great news is – every single person alive is wired with these two things. Meaning you are perfectly placed right now to be positive and reap the benefits of it!
As long as you are aware of yourself, you can begin to notice when you’re thinking negatively, feeling uneasy or behaving in ways that don’t work for you. Then, from that awareness, you can exercise your free will to CHOOSE to change your thinking, to interrupt your feeling state and to behave in ways that do work for you.
Below are three tips for how to be positive in life, so you can put this into practise for immediate results.
How To Be Positive And Feel Happier On a Daily Basis
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Proactively Practise Positive Thinking
The power of positive thinking is undeniable. Here’s what happens when you think positively…
- You proactively choose to practise positive thinking.
- You repeat positive statements to yourself on a regular basis.
- Your mind is now being “fed” with more positive content than negative content, because you’ve chosen to zone into positivity.
- Because your mind is being dominated by more positive thoughts, there is less “airtime” for negativity.
- Due to thinking positively, and having reduced negativity, you feel more at ease.
- When you feel more at ease (anywhere on the feeling spectrum from neutral inner peace, through to higher vibes like inspiration, high motivation, passion, or excitement) you are much more likely to behave differently.
- You notice your flow on choices, behavior and actions are more positively inclined because of how you are thinking and feeling.
- As a consequence of the fact you are speaking, behaving and interacting more positively, you generate better results in your life. Other people and life respond to you more favourably.
- When you get better results, you LOVE the evidence of your improved results, and you feel even more positive because of it.
- That new evidence is like “positivity fertilizer” for your mind. It becomes even easier to think positively when you’ve already seen the powerful flow on effect of doing so.
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When Faced with Challenges, Choose a Peaceful/Positive Response
Issues are part of life. We all face them, and it’s critical for your wellbeing that you know how to interact with issues in a peaceful way. Otherwise, negatively reacting to issues ends up draining your energy and impacting your health and wellbeing.
To be positive in the face of challenges doesn’t mean you have to be happy about them. It also doesn’t mean you have to fake a positive attitude about something that genuinely is not good. Rather, it’s about learning how to choose the best perspective possible in any given situation.
We always have a choice how the perspective we choose, and our perspective will always impact how we feel. So when faced with challenges, here is a way to be peaceful and positive no matter what is going on…
- Notice the thoughts and feelings you’re having about the issue.
- Pause, breathe and count to 10 (this is an oldie but a goodie!)
- Acknowledge that you absolutely have the ability to choose your perspective about the situation. No one and nothing can MAKE you think or feel anything. Your mind is your sacred domain, and you get to choose.
- Instead of locking your attention onto your original reactive negative thought/feeling about this issue, immediately ask yourself questions such as:
- “What is a more peaceful or positive way I could interpret this situation?”
- “What might this situation be helping me to learn?” (this is super useful for making the best of a negative situation, because often our challenges in life become our most powerful lessons learned in life!)
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Practise a Heap of Self-Love!
Being positive starts within you. It has little to do with what’s going on around you in life, and everything to do with your inner world.
One thing that makes it so much easier to be positive, is when you feel good about yourself.
If you don’t love yourself or believe in yourself, it makes it more challenging to maintain a genuinely positive attitude about life generally.
To cultivate a positive relationship with yourself, you might:
- Stocktake all the things there are to love about yourself – your strengths, talents, skills, achievements and triumphs on your life journey so far.
- Practise forgiving yourself for anything you’ve been beating yourself up about – for example mistakes in the past, weaknesses, unmet goals, regret, guilt.
- Do something at least once a week as an act of self-care to show yourself some love! Think about actions you could take which would make you feel nourished, nurtured and supported. These are likely to be the kind of things you wish other people would do for you, or things you would naturally do for other people you love. Start now by giving these things to yourself.
How to be Positive and Motivated to Maintain It – Daily Action Steps to Take
Having a daily routine for positivity helps you stay on track…
- EACH MORNING start your day with a simple ritual to cultivate positivity before you go out into the world. 5-10 minutes is sufficient to set your intention for the day, honing your mindset and energy in a positive direction. Rituals may include things like:
- positive affirmations (listening to audios or speaking affirmations out loud)
- meditation
- visualization (placing positive images, ideas and outcomes in your mind)
- gratitude (a very powerful form of positive thinking!)
- prayer or conscious conversation with life/the Universe
- listening to positive music that motivates and inspires you
- planning your day to feel empowered and on target with your goals
- exercise
- EACH DAY practise “Thought Interruption Technique” to help you stay on a positive track – Learning how to master your mind and manage your thoughts is so important. The more aware you become of negative thought patterns, the easier it becomes to cut them off when they show up.
- Make a list of your most common recurring negative thoughts.
- For each one, write down an alternative thought to replace it, something that is positive and would work better for you.
- When you become aware of those negative thoughts, simply practise interrupting them and begin repeating your chosen positive alternative thought instead, over and over again.
- The more you repeat the positive thought, the more familiar it becomes.
- EACH NIGHT choose to end the day on a positive note so that you go to sleep in the optimal thought/feeling state – As we lay down to go to sleep each night, it’s often the first time most of us get to be still and “in touch” with ourselves after the busy day. This is often when our minds can run riot, with so many thoughts about everything that happened or didn’t happen that day, and everything that needs to happen the next day. This often generates stress and anxiety. Instead of letting your mind automatically do this, fill your mind with positivity instead. This will help you to sleep more restfully, and support you waking in a more positive mood. You can:
- Celebrate the things you achieved in your day, no matter how small
- Give thanks for any blessings in your life
- Repeat positive affirmations that make you feel good
- Listen to a guided meditation
- Journal on any topics that inspire you and make you feel positive
Helpful Reminders – Why it Benefits You to be Positive
- Choosing to be positive in your daily life leads you to greater inner peace and happiness.
- Being positive also has a flow on effect, whereby other people respond to your positive energy, and therefore life becomes easier in many regards, with less issues and more flow.
- Not only do people respond to your positivity, but life itself responds to your positive energy. The more positive you are, the more positive things you manifest and attract.
