Who doesn’t want to be more positive? Optimism – about yourself, your life, other people, and the world – creates much more happiness than complaining or always seeing what’s wrong.
In our culture, it can be a struggle to feel optimistic. All you need to do is find a news source, and depression, anger, hopelessness can flood in. There no need to prove it – there’s a lot of ‘bad’ going on in the world.
But there’s a lot of good going on in the world, too! We need more people focusing on reasons to feel happy, peaceful, and hopeful about our future. You can be one of those people with these easy tips!
1) Don’t mindlessly fill yourself with negativity. Turn off the news, the scary movies, the television shows that drain you of happiness. Choose upbeat information to read, listen to, and watch.
2) Surround yourself with positive people and things. Buy fresh flowers each week. Post uplifting quotes and thoughts around you. Change the relationships you have with people who tend to bring you down with negativity or complaining. Be a voice of hope and love by avoiding gossip, pity parties, or conversations about how bad things are in the world.
3) Stop thinking or repeating any beliefs that squander your chances of feeling happy. Don’t say or think things like: Life sucks, I have the worst luck, Nothing good ever happens to me, I never win, Why can’t I get a break?, My life is always so hard, This always happens to me.
4) Envision your success. Don’t focus on the end result (i.e. your body 20 pounds lighter). Instead take a mental snapshot of the end result, and spend time envisioning your successful journey to that result. See and feel yourself eating healthy foods, jogging three miles, doing yoga, and drinking a lot of water.
5) Detach from life’s outcomes. Life will unfold as it must. You can’t control it even if you try really hard. Allow life to show you the way. You can still live with intention, and you can work hard toward your dreams, but quit relying on a certain outcome to make you happy. Choose to be happy now.
6) Be grateful. All the time, every day, for everything… express your thankfulness.
7) Be kind. To everyone, each day, even strangers. This will do you good, but it will do much good for others, too. It will even help the world as there will be more kindness spread.
8) If you have a tough day (or week or event), allow it to be as it is. Feel it all – even the uncomfortable emotions like fear or anger or discouragement. Know that it’s the duality of life that you’re experiencing, and that is okay. In fact, that is good and expected. Those tough times are when we can learn and grow into a better person.
9) Say no. You don’t need to do everything that’s asked of you (even for your precious three year old who wants you to play with stuffed animals every minute). And you don’t need to give a reason for saying no. If you try to please everyone, you’ll please no one.
10) Take care of yourself. Women often put themselves last. When you do that, you are likely to become exhausted, grumpy, and resentful. Listen to what your body, mind, and spirit call for, and do it – take a bubble bath, enjoy a long walk on the beach, take some time off, ignore the dishes for once, let yourself rest.
11) Grieve changes. We don’t only experience grief when someone dies. We grieve any major change in life. Give yourself patience and grace when you switch jobs or your child goes to college or you have to adjust to a parent living in a nursing home.
12) Quit comparing yourself or your life to anyone. Your life is your own. It’s easy to compare to others, and in doing so, we make a lot of assumptions. Rather than look at someone else, focus on creating a life you really love and appreciating what you have.
Life is meant to be happy and peaceful. Don’t let the world trick you (or train you) to think differently. You choose how to perceive the world around you, and you can focus on all the beauty, love, and goodness. When you do, you’ll feel a big difference in your heart, and others will see it in your kindness and your smile!
