9 Ways to Be More Positive ...

Look around you and count your fortunes. Can’t see any? Think again, and remember that there is always someone worse off than you. They might value the things you could be taking for granted. Appreciation is one of the simplest and humblest of ways you can be more positive.

You’ll only end up getting yourself upset. Much like how others are worse off than you, others will be better off than you. By learning to accept this and resist that fleeting urge to feel like a winner or a loser, you can move towards improving yourself by accepting who you are. Remember, Mr. Darcy loves Bridget Jones just the way she is.

...got, done, achieved, made, wanted, etc! It is a lot easier to accomplish something by pinpointing what you already have at hand. You can be positive by not complaining about what you haven’t achieved yet and use what tools you have and work towards your goals. For example, if you hurt your partner and want to improve your relationship, don’t dwell on your mistake – use what you know about yourselves and work towards cheering him or her up.

Trust me, there is always a silver lining behind any black cloud and it’s up to you to find it. Don’t be too hard on yourself; learning from your mistakes is one of the best ways to progress and be positive. As Thomas Edison said, ‘I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

You can never learn too much. Educating yourself is a rewarding experience. To start, read books on areas you want to improve, like relationships, finances or health. Also, learn from others: ask those who are confident in certain areas what they did to improve. Knowledge is power and the more you know the happier you can be!

There is always a gap between the stimulus and a reaction. Lengthen that gap before reacting by taking more time than usual to think carefully about your next steps. Even when it seems like your immediate reaction is the only response, realize you always have another choice. More often than not, a well thought out response is less damaging than what you initially want to say.

When you’re not feeling positive, confident or chipper it’s time to breathe it in and act like you are. Being able to put on a brave face can encourage you to actually be brave since it shows you’re capable of actively moving on. The feeling of being so will soon follow.

Act in the now. Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future can certainly dampen your positivity. Like Master Oogway, the tortoise, said in DreamWorks’ film Kung Fu Panda: ‘There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present.”’

This will greatly improve your performance in anything. For example, if there is an encounter you are nervous or feeling negative about, mentally visualize yourself as a success, feeling confident and unbreakable. Really feel it, hear it and sense it. Then, go for it!

I hope my 9 Ways to be More Positive has given you some help on how to escape from your negative cloud or even just start the day with a happier outlook. Of course it may seem hard and daunting at first, but you just need to remember that you can control who you are and how you feel. Learning how to work with your emotions is a personal and rewarding life skill, perhaps you have some other handy tips or suggestions on how to be positive? If you do, add some comments and share how you manage to Be More Positive!

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