There are things you can to shift your focus toward positivity. Once you begin to do that, you’ll start to find positive thinking comes more naturally and with ease. Cutting down on your complaining is something that will take practice. Not everyone is naturally inclined to lean toward the positive. It’s easier for our brains to fall into patterns of negative thinking than to look on the bright side of things. You may wonder how you can begin to become a more positive person. It takes time and intentional practice.
Ditch Negative Influences
Let’s start with one of the toughest suggestions I have to offer, and that’s to get rid of negative people in your life. Cutting people off is difficult and painful. It’s hard to sever a connection with someone who may have been important to you, but allowing toxic people to bring you down with their constant negativity is harmful to yourself.
There have been people in my life I thought would be around forever having claimed to b best friends and all that but the moment I focused on my dreams and goals and reduced the complaints, I found myself not wanting to surround myself with people who can’t go a moment without complaining. I chose to stop being miserable and now I am just a bit more selective about who I hang out with.
Ultimately, it may be better for you to put yourself and your own needs first. If you can’t eliminate a negative person from your life completely, at least make an effort to spend less time around them. Once you do, you’ll probably feel like a weight has lifted from you, and being positive will come easier. You can always reevaluate things later.
Smile
Yes, a simple gesture like smiling can turn your whole attitude around. It’s hard to feel cranky when you’re smiling. Give it a shot. Have you ever gone to the grocery store and smiled at a stranger? And I don’t mean in the creepy kind of way or in the “I want to get with your way” but just a genuine smile! It can feel a bit weird of course but I like to think that at that moment we have a small positive impact. A good mood tends to follow a genuine smile, both your own and the recipients. Smiles really are contagious.
Look Forward
Set some goals for yourself. Being able to look ahead to the future with hope and anticipation will do wonders for your outlook. When we’re feeling stuck in a rut, it’s far easier to let things bring us down. These goals can be personal, professional, or something else entirely. Just be sure it’s an objective that excites you in order to keep your motivation and your spirits high.
Brighten Your Surroundings
If you want to lift your mood and perk up your thinking, it could really help to brighten your surroundings a bit. The things you see around you have an impact on how you feel. If you want to feel more positive, add some uplifting elements to your atmosphere. You can do this by making sure your office desk always has fresh flowers on it or by adding some fun décor to your home. This small lift can go far to turning your mood around.
And clean and declutter on a regular basis can also help. When I find myself more anxious or frustrated it’s because I have allowed the clutter to take space. A quick cleaning will often create the shift I need.
Step Outside Yourself
Finally, sometimes you have to get out of your own way and out of your own head if you want to change your perspective. One awesome way to do that is to help others. It can be in a small, informal way or by throwing yourself into a big project. Whether it’s offering assistance to your overworked colleague or starting a huge philanthropic campaign, helping others can totally change your negative attitude.
Hopefully, these tips will help you to bring some sunshine into your life. Perhaps you can build upon them and find ways that are personal and meaningful to push you along the path to positivity.
