“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” — Zig Ziglar

Positive people tend to be happier and more successful by focusing on the good things their life. Instead of dwelling on their past mistakes, they think about their wins. Moreover, they make the best out of what they’ve got. This mindset breeds the motivation and charisma needed to achieve their dreams. Furthermore, studies show that optimism actually leads to more success.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” — Willie Nelson

On the other hand, negative people ignore the good things in their life and obsess about what they don’t have. It’s impossible for them to ever be happy because they always pick apart what’s wrong in their life. Furthermore, this spills over into gossiping and judging other people’s lives as well.

But, every day you have a choice to be negative or positive.

So, how do you become a positive person? I’m glad you asked! Here are the ways you can gain a life-changing, positive mindset:

1. Be grateful for the amazing life you have now

“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.”– Germany Kent

If you’ve read my “About” page, then you’d know I spent the end of August 2018 to May of 2019 living with my husband and 2 dogs in a tiny RV in the Rocky Mountain high desert.

Some people envy this experience until I tell them there was no running water and no refrigerator. The temperatures were sometimes 24 degrees below 0. The coyotes were so loud howling and yipping every night. Moreover, there’d be high winds that would almost tip the camper over! Not cool!

That experience gave me so much gratitude for the simple things in life. I’m still so thankful for my house, my bed, showers, and not being out in the elements anymore.

Since I don’t want anyone to have to live through that, just imagine if you lost everyone and everything in your life. You’d be much more grateful for what you have now!

2. Create a home that inspires positive thoughts

“You can’t make positive choices for the rest of your life without an environment that makes those choices easy, natural, and enjoyable.” – Deepak Chopra

How would you feel if you walked into a house or apartment and it looked like someone set off a clutter-bomb? Not to mention, mysterious smells in every room, topped off with clothes and dust? Probably not very good.

Not to mention, your subconscious absorbs everything in your environment. It’ll make you feel horrible and you might not know why.

So, create an environment that instantly refreshes your soul. You don’t need fancy new furniture, just clean what you have.

Play some feel-good music, then get to work! Clear out the clutter. Spray and wipe all your surfaces. Wash all the dirty clothes and dishes. Light some candles. Make your home comfortable and welcoming.

Do this for yourself, so when you walk in the door you don’t feel like you’ve entered a disaster zone. You feel a calm, joyous vibe instead.

3. Don’t tolerate negative people

Attitudes are contagious. When you spend time with complainers and gossips, they leak their destructive vibes into your mindset. Don’t allow this to happen!

When someone starts gossiping or being negative, tell them that you can’t be around that anymore. If they don’t stop, leave. It’s better to be alone than to hang out with people like that. Only spend time with optimistic people.

4. Reject negative thoughts and choose to think positive

“Live each day as if your life had just begun.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

When negative memories popup in your mind, crush them with an encouraging thought. So, deflate those bad memories by finding something you learned from the situation. Also, remind yourself how much you’ve grown since then.

5. Watch your language

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

The things you say alter how you feel and how others see you. So, start conversations with a positive statement. This will set the tone for the rest of the interaction.

If someone asks you how you’re doing don’t say these things:

“I’m exhausted!”

“Just hanging in there.”

“I’m fine.”

“Waiting for Friday.”

“Ugh, I’m so busy!”

These responses are common. But, don’t conform! Instead, respond in a charismatic way like, “I’m doing great! How are you?”.

Responding like this instantly boosts both of your moods. It’s an easy way to be more respectable, influential, and enjoyable to be around.

6. Use positive self-talk

“Don’t forget to tell yourself positive things daily! You must love yourself internally to grow externally.” – Hannah Bronfman

Negative people live with a constant stream of self-defeating thoughts. It makes sense that this affects their daily lives and destroys their relationships. They always expect the worst and that’s what they get. Their gloomy inner-monologue influences their behaviors, which ultimately wrecks their lives.

So, make sure your thoughts are encouraging, especially during hard times. If you get fired or you go through a breakup, be easy on yourself. You need to lift yourself up! So, don’t dissect the situation, accept that it happened, learn from it, and move on.

7. Use positive body language

Your thoughts and body are seamlessly connected. Therefore, using positive body language will shape your attitude. So, if you’re struggling to shift your mindset, change how you’re sitting or standing. Try it out now. Straighten your back, lift your head up and smile.

8. Change your perspective

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~Winston Churchill

Negative things happen to everyone. But, do yourself a favor and don’t blow things out of proportion. So, if someone is rude to you, brush it off and move on. Don’t take their behavior personally. Who knows what drama they’re dealing with? If you flip out, it’ll only make you look bad and ruin your day. So, take a few deep breaths and be the cool one. Don’t let petty things bother you, because you’re awesome and no one can change that.

9. Do something nice

“The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.”— Lee lacocca

Negative people don’t bother to do nice things for others. In fact, they won’t even be nice to themselves! But, helping someone can boost your attitude for the rest of the day!

Nice things to do for others:

Compliment someone who looks sad

Call someone who’s going through a hard time

Giv e a homeless person some food

Talk to a shy or new person

Fix or clean something for a family member

Volunteer at an animal or homeless shelter

Overall, remember it’s your choice to have positive thoughts about your life. Although, don’t obsess about being positive or happy. Because being too attached to anything creates suffering. Besides, no one is always positive. So, it’s okay to feel sad or upset. You’re human! Just strive to have more positivity than negativity every day.

So, if you use these positivity inducing suggestions, you’ll be certain to have a more enjoyable life. Keep your head up and smile, because life is amazing, and so are you!

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