There are some simple things you can do to be more positive in life. You need to be willing to tackle your thoughts. Our thoughts are responsible for our state of mind. Positive thoughts are better.
Ah, yes – positivity. The word that I hated. The concept that never really made sense to me.
I used to be a proud pessimist. Someone made the mistake of teaching me that word when I was 7, and I’d been using it to describe myself for more than 10 years. I don’t know, I just thought it sounded cool, and most people didn’t know it so I felt even cooler.
Somehow, this coolness was not a good thing. I mean, I would know – because now that I am more positive, I see what I was missing out on.
CHOOSING TO BE POSITIVE WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I EVER DID FOR MYSELF. WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO BE POSITIVE, IT ONLY OPENS THE DOORS FOR GREATER THINGS.
What is Positivity?
Everyone has their own definition of what it means to be positive. And I think having your own concept of positivity can be a good thing. That’s why I’m going to share with you my version of what positivity is. Maybe you can borrow a few ideas and see how that works for you!
To me, being positive means the following things:
- Banishing negative thoughts
- Focusing on the good in my life
- Gratitude
- Being upbeat
- Speaking with love and kindness
- Using affirmations every day to keep the negativity at bay
My list above is mostly me fighting negativity. That’s because I have to snap out of it ALL THE TIME. I’m not complaining though, because being positive is so worth it.
I mostly have to be positive after my negativity kicks in. In fact, it’s awesome because it’s a reminder that I haven’t had enough positive thoughts for the day.
I’ve studied myself enough to know that I’m probably in the early stages of learning to be positive. I’ll tell you why – I only started being positive about 3 years ago. Before that, I spent 20 years being negative. Negativity is hard wired into my programming after all those years.
CHOOSING TO BE MORE POSITIVE AFTER ALL THE YEARS OF NEGATIVITY WAS A GREAT LEAP THAT I TOOK. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BREAK THOSE NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS, BUT I DID MOST OF THE WORK WHEN I MADE THE DECISION TO GET POSITIVE.
Also Read from here: How to be more grateful + Free gratitude worksheet
Benefits of Being Positive
I’m not going to fool you into thinking positivity is a breeze. If you’re pretty negative, it’s not going to be easy all the time.
If I haven’t said this already, I’ll say it again – I used to be a really negative person. Sometimes, it slips back in.
Here are examples of my negative thoughts:
- Nothing ever works out for me
- Why is everybody out to get me?
- I hate everything
- I hate myself
- Nobody appreciates me
- I do all the work around here
- I’m so nice to people but they are so mean to me
I have a confession to make: I have been really negative for the last 2 days. I just don’t know why. Sometimes you just get into this mood where it’s kind of comforting to be down and negative. (I hope that’s not just me!)
I know that I have to try to be positive though! No matter how much my negativity is trying to bring me down – I have to fight it with the magical powers of positivity!
You know what’s weird? Until a while ago, I didn’t know that I was supposed to soothe myself. I didn’t know that I had to cope with negativity. I didn’t know that I had to banish the negativity and try to make myself feel good!
Also Read from here: How to Stop Crying When You Are Depressed
So this time, I tried to banish the negativity. I mean, I let myself feel bad for a while, because I need to validate my feelings.
I LOVE TO SOOTHE MYSELF TO BANISH NEGATIVITY. IT FEELS SO GOOD, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF TREATING MYSELF LIKE SOME KIND OF CRIMINAL.
Of course, I cried in the shower, feeling so unappreciated in my life. I felt dejected because I felt like no one was seeing the good I was doing for them. I felt like things were going all wrong. I thought a few negative thoughts. (These days I feel kind of bad when I say bad things to myself like: I hate myself).
Then, I gathered myself up and told myself some positive affirmations.
Positive Affirmation Examples:
- I feel great!
- I am good enough
- I am worthy of abundance
- I deserve to be pampered
- I trust myself
- I believe in myself
- I trust my body (This is my fave for self love and body positivity)
- Everybody loves me
I calmed myself by speaking to myself in soothing tones, and using calming words, like I was talking to a loved one. I told myself that it was all going to be okay. That we are a team, and I would never let anything bad happen to me. I told myself that it broke my heart to see myself so sad.
After calming down, I picked out my t-shirt with the word HUSTLE emblazoned across the front, and tried to feel good. My fan wouldn’t turn on, but I was gentle with it. I told it how much I needed it and gave it a few good hits! It started working.
After that, the coolest thing happened. I received an unexpected amount of money, from an unexpected source! If that isn’t the work of positivity, then we are going to pretend it is!
I could have spent the whole day crying and wallowing in bed. However, I chose to shower, use my soothing body wash, and wear great clothes. I jumped around a bit and looked in the mirror told myself that I loved me. I feel great!
Also Read from here: How to Control a Mental Breakdown
Why You Should be Positive in Life
You should be positive in life because that gives you a running start. It gives you a chance! It gives you that edge you need to change the course of your day.
Being positive in life helps you to focus on the good things that are going on. This in turn raises your vibration. When you raise your vibration, you only attract things that are vibrating at that high frequency.
Being positive lets you be kind to yourself. The most common way of being negative is being mean to yourself. And that sucks. You might not really be aware of it, but being mean to yourself really brings you down.
Also Read from here: How to Raise Your Vibration Right Now
7 Ways to be More Positive in Life
Here are just a few examples of how to be more positive in life. They work wonders, and are amazing to get your day on the right course.
1 | Say only good to yourself
The best way to be more positive in life is to be good to yourself. Speak to yourself with love and kindness. Talk to yourself like you were talking to a loved one. When you are sad, soothe yourself with love and attention and care.
Whenever I’m negative, I try to speak to myself lovingly. I soothe myself and do things that make me feel better. I try not to criticize myself. I even managed to get over the mistakes I made in the past.
Also Read from here: How to Forgive Yourself for Past Mistakes
Try not to say self-deprecating and hateful things to yourself. Encourage and support yourself. Tell yourself that you always do the right thing. When you do something amazing, recognize it. Praise yourself. Give yourself that validation that you truly deserve from yourself.
When you slip up, don’t go crazy on yourself, beating yourself up. Be gentle and try again another time. You don’t have to be harsh on yourself.
Treat yourself like you are important. You deserve to be good to yourself.
Also Read from here: How to be Your Own Best Friend: Easy Guide
2 | Use positive affirmations
Using affirmations is the single most powerful tool to start being more positive in life.
I always kind of knew about using positive affirmations. However, it wasn’t until I read these books that I learnt exactly why and how important the things you say to yourself are so important:
- The Game of Life and How to Play It Paperback by Florence Scovel Shinn
- You Can Heal Your Life Paperback by Louise Hay
The interesting part is that both of these books are so old, written before I was even born! The concepts in these books are not new knowledge. This stuff is what people have been using to reach greater heights in life since forever.
Also Read from here: How Affirmations Saved My Life
Affirmations are statements that are said with intention and purpose. These are thoughts that are planted today and give you the beautiful fruits of positivity tomorrow.
Every time I feel myself becoming negative, I have positive affirmations on hand. My lightning fast affirmation-reflexes are:
- I believe in myself
- I feel happy
- I trust myself
- I make good decisions
- I am worthy
- I deserve all the good things
The thoughts you think today determine your tomorrow! So be sure to plant the right seed-thoughts.
3 | Focus on what you love
How can you be more positive right now? That’s easy. Do the things that make you happy. Being happy = Being positive. Doing things you love puts you in the right mood.
Allow yourself to indulge. Do the things that are bound to put you in a good mood.
Try not to indulge in negative addictions, though.
Also Read from here: How to Develop Good Habits
Go ahead and write down a list of the things you know for sure will make you feel better on a bad day. Keep these for that rainy day when you feel down and negative.
Also Read from here: How to Feel Better On a Bad Day
Here are the activities I like to save for the days when I’m feeling a bit low:
- Watch good 90’s movies
- Read a good book
- Drink warm tea
- Dressing up and taking selfies
- Calling up loved ones
- Painting
- Journaling
- Listening to music
4 | Surround yourself with positive people
This one’s a no-brainer. You can’t continue to hang around people that make you feel like crap. Slowly disappear from their lives, and watch how much you flourish!
Surround yourself with those people you probably hate because of how positive they are even when everything is falling apart.
It’s time to start actually wanting to feel positive. It’s time to invest in making your life livable.
Choose to be positive and content. Being negative is really getting you nowhere.
5 | Kick out negative thoughts
A few days ago, I was reading this book: The Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton. Now don’t ask me why I was reading about psychopaths (Research!!).
In this book, the author discusses how negative thoughts like anxious thoughts are good. Or at least they were good thousands of years ago when we had to deal with wild animals and scrounge for berries in snake-infested tropical forests. He says that the fear and anxiety were very important for survival. The person who could jump at the slightest rustle of leaves in the bush, was going to save his family and live longer than the person who had no fear.
That made me feel a bit better about my anxiety. It was good for something after all!
Also Read from here: How to Get Rid of Anxiety in the Long Run
Here’s the thing: Life today is absolutely so chill, and we don’t need the amount of fear we had back in the day. It’s not as functional as it used to be. (And by the way, psychopaths don’t feel fear. What on earth?!)
I always kick out negative thoughts. Negative thoughts remind me to be positive, and I tolerate them for that reason. Every time I have negative thoughts, I take it as a chance to manifest some good things for myself, for the next second, hour or day.
The best way to do this is by using affirmations. Affirmations scare me sometimes, though. They feel so mysterious to me, being a former negative-thought aficionado. The way they just work. They make me feel better in a minute.
6 | Choose happiness and positivity
In addition to being a negative soul, I used to be a victim. Now, a victim is someone who feels a perverse sort of pleasure when things go wrong. Don’t blame them, though. They aren’t doing it on purpose. People usually turn out this way because of familial upbringing. Maybe they grew up in a negative home, and when negativity shows up in their life, it’s so familiar and feels like home.
I remember being really sad when I was a teenager, and I actually smiled. I told myself, “Yep, this is just what I like. To be sad.”
Kind of messed up, right? Well, I lived like that for very long. That is, until I chose to choose happiness and positivity. It feels weird to me now that I enjoyed pain so much.
Humans need to focus on generating more happiness and positivity.
Do it now – promise that you are going to chase the bright lights and the laughter from now on. There’s no need to lounge in negativity.
Come over to the positive side, it’s pretty neat!
Also Read from here: 15 Quotes to Get You Through Depression
7 | Focus on being healthy
Being healthy fixes so many problems and helps you to be more positive in life. It tells your body that you are going to show up for it. You care and want to feel good.
My favorite affirmation for my body is this:
I trust my body.
Your body is one of the biggest components of what makes you you. If you want to be more positive in life, you are going to have to make your body more positive. You can do this by showing up for your body. Eat right and make it feel good by working out.
Say only good things to your body.
Stop criticizing everything about your body.
Think about it: You only really have yourself. You have your mind and your body. Those are the things that make up you. You can’t keep ignoring your body by putting toxic things into it, and letting it stay stationary.
Do things that make you feel good about your body.
Also Read from here: 7 Ways to Build a Healthy Relationship with Food
Things that make me feel great about my body:
- Skin care
- Moisturizing
- Eating fruits
- Working out
- Yoga
- Dancing
- Self massage
- Body positive self talk
- Wearing great clothes
- Nail colors
- Soothing bath
- Freshly made bed
There are so many things you can do to show up for your body. They will absolutely make you feel more positive. You have to decide to choose YOU.
Being More Positive Starts with You
Learning how to be more positive in life starts with you making the conscious decision to choose positivity, happiness and content-ness.
You have to tackle all aspects of your life: your thoughts, your external surroundings and your body.
Keep choosing positivity over and over again, until it’s pretty programmed into your existence.
If you enjoyed this post on how to be more positive in life, that’s AWESOME! Scroll down to the comments and share with me your tips on how you make yourself more positive.
Additional Helpful Posts:
- How to Love Yourself First
- How to Learn to Love Yourself
- How to Trust Yourself More
- How to Be Confident in Yourself
- How to be Happier in Life
- How to Stop Hating Yourself
- What is Self Confidence and Why is it Important?
- 16 Quick ways to boost confidence
- How to be more grateful + Free gratitude worksheet
- How to Heal Anxiety + Free Anxiety Healing Worksheet
- How to Be a Leveled-Up Boss Babe
- How to Raise Your Vibration Right Now
- How to Be Self-Partnered Like Emma Watson
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