I’m sure you know people who tell you to be positive. They say things like, “Look for the silver lining,” or “Look on the bright side.” Those people may even be a bit annoying at times with their ever-sunny disposition, but there’s actually a benefit to having a positive attitude.
Here’s why:
1. A positive attitude makes you feel better, which makes your day more enjoyable and productive than when you focus on what you cannot do.
If you believe something to be true, it really does have a better chance of coming true. If you believe, for example, “I can reach my work targets,” “I can lose weight,” or “I can get out of debt and save money” then you have a better chance of succeeding. Our mind is very powerful and our thoughts and the language we use affects our beliefs, actions and even our abilities.
2. A positive attitude helps you get over challenges because challenges seem to be less significant.
It’s not that positive people don’t have challenges to overcome, it’s just that challenges have less of an effect on their life and their outlook than they do for negative people. If you have a negative attitude, the smallest setback can feel like Mount Everest. If, on the other hand, you have a positive attitude, even major setbacks feel do-able.
3. A positive attitude helps you see opportunities rather than limitations.
Opportunities, recognizing them and seizing them, can make the difference between tremendous success and living an ordinary life. When you have a positive attitude, you view the world as a welcoming and friendly place and you expect, recognize and grab opportunities as they come to you. If you’re negative then it’s easy to view the world as your enemy and everything as a problem.
4. A positive attitude attracts people to you.
Do you like being around negative people? I don’t. They drain my energy! A positive outlook makes others want to be around you and brings opportunities, customers and friends to you. You’re able to surround yourself with other positive people and success comes more easily.
Having a can-do attitude gives you the extra edge to dream big and accomplish your goals. When you believe you can accomplish something, you’re able to make it happen. You’re excited to sit down and plan how you’re going to achieve your goals. You’re determined and focused on getting where you want to go and you’re able to celebrate and share your success with others.
How To Change Your Thoughts
Although we’re not all born with rose-colored glasses, the good news is, this is something you can learn. You can learn to be positive, to use positive language and to look on the bright side.
First, you’ll want to practice recognizing your thoughts, both positive and negative. Once you can learn to recognize or be conscious of your thoughts, then you can begin to eliminate or change the negative thoughts into positive ones.
The important thing is, do not judge yourself. Notice that sometimes you choose more positive thoughts and actions. And sometimes, you choose more negative thoughts and actions. That’s perfectly okay. Just ask yourself, “what is there to learn in this space?” By approaching everything with curiosity rather than criticism, you’ll find that you feel lighter even when the situation would ordinarily feel stressful or heavy.
Don’t give up when you find this process difficult, it is and it takes time and practice. However the effort is well worth it.
Try On A New Perspective
If you have a situation that’s upsetting you right now, look for any positives, benefits or opportunities by asking yourself:
- Is there another point of view I can take?
- Did he/she actually mean something else, rather than the interpretation I have in my mind?
- What can I learn from this?
- Is there anything funny about this situation?
- How would my partner, best friend, child or someone I respect handle this? (Or, ask them in-person!)
No comments:
Post a Comment