Every so often we come across situations in life that seem like a disaster. They may be related to your love life, your career, family, hobbies or simply daily little chores. And when these things happen, we are usually taken over by sorrow or sadness. On other occasions, we may feel angered and bury ourselves in negative emotions that really do us no good in the long run. To overcome this in the best possible way, we must learn to use positive thinking to our advantage at all times.

Either way, sadness, grief, anger or madness towards ourselves, all of these emotions can and should be transformed into something more positive and uplifting. Whenever these things occur, we should try to see the lesson that can be taken out of the situation, and then proceed with our life.

I don’t know about you, but I believe in spirituality and in happiness, and I think that the more time we can spend being happy, the more light we may emit onto others. And on the contrary, if we are being angered and depressed all the time, there is nothing good that we can possibly share with the world. Like attracts like.

Today I want to share with you 10 examples of positive thinking that have helped me tremendously in my lifetime. Some of these things I use daily, while others have influenced me at a specific moment in life. And while some of these examples are not clearly about happiness, they are a lot about rationality. From personal experience, I can say that when you deeply analyze a situation and think about it rationally, it no longer has that potential to put you in confusion and therefore make you sad or depressed.

Examples of positive thinking

1. Failing in tasks that you have prepared for

So many people are negatively influenced by this problem. They prepare well for a certain task in their life, such as an important exam, but when the time comes to give the right answers, it becomes clear that you have prepared for the wrong questions. You simply had different expectations of the situation. The outcome is a fail or a poorly handled problem.

Despite many reasons that may have influenced this outcome, people tend to put pressure on themselves and get depressed about it. Luckily, I have always been a lot more “chill” towards these types of situations, and I never understood how can people be so sad about things they had no or little control of.

In this context there are usually two different types of situations: 1. either you haven’t prepared for something, and therefore the failure was expected, or 2. you have prepared, and still failed because the outcome was totally unexpected. So why feel down? You know you prepared well and you knew the material. What else could you have done?

Never feel bad about situations that could not have gone any better, especially when it comes to studies. You are going to study your whole life, even when your official studies are over. Always do your best, but never beat up yourself for things that are outside of your control. As the saying goes, “shit happens” (pardon my French).

2. Broken heart

This one is for the younger generation. And yes, even if it seems like it is the end of the world, positive thinking can and should be applied here as well, and will do you a lot of good.

When you and your loved one break up, it may feel like the end of the world, especially if it was your first relationship. But trust me, there is more than one person for you in this world. You are probably going through some tough times and telling yourself that this person was the only one, your soulmate. This is completely normal, but your mind is “messing” with you. If you think that this person was your soulmate, then I guarantee you that you will find another soulmate sometime soon. There are so many people living on Earth. 🙂

If you have just broken up, see it as an opportunity to make yourself better. Note down all the mistakes that you have made in this relationship in order not to repeat them again, and then go on improving yourself while you have the opportunity. In a matter of time, you will be in a relationship again, and you won’t have that freedom that you have now. So instead of spending the days sobbing, go and make yourself great!

Time heals but positive thinking really speeds up the process.

3. My friend/partner doesn’t have the same interests I do

I will be honest with you here. This one was especially difficult for me to handle. I loved it when the people that I hung out with would do and like the same things that I did and liked. And while this may be important for a relationship, it cannot always be the case.

Don’t judge people because they are not willing to “play” the same games you want to. Understand that everyone is different, and respect their choices. And if you want to be especially cool about it, go instead and do the things that your friends want to do, even if you don’t like it. This will take you outside of your comfort zone and will add new experiences into your life. Even if I had such an experience that wasn’t so pleasant at the time, it is always nice to remember it later in life. It is one of those things that you did, that you wouldn’t have otherwise done.

Also, you have to understand that nobody in this world owes you anything. If you have a problem with something, it is your problem, and not the problem of others! When I came to this realization, it became so much easier to live and hang out with different types of people. I became more open-minded and life got easier. How’s that for positive thinking? 🙂

4. People are always late to meetings with me

Coming back to example 3, nobody owes you anything. If you know that the person you are meeting is always late, just don’t come so early to see them. Alternatively, you don’t have to meet these people at all. Find friends who have more common sense and don’t bother getting angry at the ones who you want to keep as friends.

If you can’t shift your mood towards positive thinking, then avoid situations that you know will make you feel angry or sad. There is always more than one option.

5. Days when there is not enough time

If you are a busy person with a tight schedule, you know how frustrating it can sometimes be to not have time to finish all of the planned activities. I myself come across these situations from time to time, and when they do happen, my usual first reaction is stress. I instantly begin calculating how much time I spent extra, how much less time I will have in the end of the day, and all of the things that I can do to catch up. This is a bad approach!

Sometimes, I see these types of days as an opportunity to live that day differently. I see it as an opportunity to take one activity of the day and immerse myself into it, completing it with excellence, as opposed to doing many tasks with good or average results.

If you have created a very tight schedule for yourself, these things will inevitably happen. The goal is not to stress out and rush everything for the sake of being busy, but rather to do things slowly and mindfully. The rest can be postponed for the following day or week.

Never stress about your schedule. If you learn to be calm at all times, your life will be so much better. Also, your productivity will improve.

And by the way, if you want to know more about living a calm life, make sure to check this post out.

6. Frustration with your parents

No matter what age you are, you will always be a son or a daughter to your parents. Moreover, they will always see you as their little kid, even if you are 40 years of age!

I very well know what it means to be frustrated with parents. And I very well know what it means to not be angry with them. No matter how little your parents understand you and your life choices, you should never think negatively of them. They are your parents, and you won’t have any other parents. This is who gave birth to you, and this is what you should always keep in mind.

I know people that genuinely hold anger at their dad and mom. I think that this is not the best place to be at. And I am not saying that parents can’t be wrong or annoying (oh they definitely can 🙂 ), but what I am saying is that you should create a special type of attitude towards them that no one else in this world gets from you. If you step into their house, knowing that you are in for one heck of a ride, your mind must become as calm as the “toad in the sun”.

While communicating with your parents, don’t attempt to teach them anything they don’t need to know. This is something I tried to do when I was a teen – I failed miserably. All they want to know is that you are healthy and that everything is good in your life. So if your relationship with them is tough, ease the pressure on them, and try to avoid difficult topics.

And finally, if you do feel that you are not in the mood to see them, then don’t. Rather save up your energy, wait till you feel happy, and go see them with positive thinking in your agenda. This will be better for all of you.

7. When you are busy when all the others are living life

If you have decided to start a business, become better in some sport or musical instrument, or you simply have dedicated time for yourself, you will find moments when you feel sorry for yourself.

All of your friends might be having fun, but you cannot join them because you are busy. This mindset is very dangerous to have. This is the mindset that breaks people and causes them to keep postponing work related to those things that actually matter to them.

I also get this from time to time, but luckily I have taught myself to think about it in a different way. If I am busy while everyone else is not, then there must be a good reason for it. I have made certain goals for myself that I need to achieve, and the reason why I am at home working is because I am constantly coming closer to achieving those goals. I am making my dreams a reality.

Instead of feeling sad, tired and depressed, I think of all the good that I will get in return later for all the hard work I put into it today. You have to always remind yourself that nothing goes unnoticed. If you are working really hard to make changes in your life, sooner or later, you will see results. It is only a matter of time. So, instead of being sad and blue about it, rather feel the excitement and joy that is ahead of you. Think of all the great things that are coming your way. If you are able to shift your mindset like that, your success is inevitable.

If you have seriously decided on something, then stick to it and be proud that you are making it happen, even if you have to work through the nights for it. Positive thinking is a game changer here.

8. I am having a bad day

For those of you that love to think that you are having a bad day, get rid of this idea as soon as possible. By using the phrase “I am having a bad day”, we subconsciously accept our poor mood and attitude, when in reality there are so many productive things that we can still do on that day.

There is no such thing as a “bad day”, just like there is no bad weather for the nature. If something didn’t turn out well, don’t let it drop your mood like that – always have your chin up high. Keep working on that positive thinking.

9. I am tired of my job

Being tired and stressed out at work is completely normal, especially if you are only a beginner. As a software engineer, I constantly have to face the reality of not knowing or understanding how some things work, or how to solve a problem. At first, this was slowly killing me, but with time I learned to deal with this. I simply came to the realization that learning is an ongoing process. Ideally, it should last your whole life. This way you can make sure that you will never get bored of life.

Shifting my thinking regarding difficulties at work, I am able now to be more positive at work. I am willing to ask for help when necessary, and I see work as work, and not the end of the world. By accepting difficulties at my job, I have become more positive, motivated and even better at problem-solving. Somehow, when my mind freed up of all the unnecessary negative and worrying thoughts, I was actually able to solve problems a lot faster. I urge you all to do the same for yourselves.

And if you totally can’t stand your work, then you can use negative motivation to motivate you to leave it and try yourself somewhere else. New job? Different career? Online business?

10. Never see yourself as lonely or hopeless

Finally, I want to ask you to never see yourself as lonely or hopeless. So many people get into the habit of pitying themselves, and unfortunately, it also subconsciously leads you into a negative lifestyle.

You are not lonely because nobody wants to communicate with you. You are lonely because you are not seeking for people to hang out with you.

These days it is extremely easy to find new friends. Apart from going out to bars, cafes, gyms, etc., and actually looking for new people to talk to, you can use the internet to easily find like-minded fellas. Just look at all the groups in Facebook related to diets, lifestyle, hobbies, positive thinking, and anything else that you may be interested in. You can always join them and quickly get to know people that have similar interests to you.

You are never hopeless. Only you make yourself feel that way. In psychology, they say that if you don’t learn to love yourself, no one will love you, because you won’t know how to accept their love. Therefore, see yourself as a unique human with qualities that are very valuable to other people.

Also, you can go and improve yourself if you need that motivation. Take action, do sports, anything you want really. Just don’t sit still and feel sorry for yourself.

Last but not least, when you realize that you are a wonderful human being, learn to enjoy the process of becoming better. When you look for new things to do, or for new people to meet, see it as an incredible time for new transformations and new connections. Use positive thinking to the fullest!

Recommended book for positivity: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

I hope that you understand the power of positive thinking, and that you should use it every day, at all times, no matter where you are. Only by being positive, you will be able to push through the most difficult moments no matter what. And most importantly, you will be able to see those valuable lessons in life, that you would have otherwise missed if you were busy being negative, sad, angry or depressed. Good luck!

Do you have another example to add to this list? Please share it with me in the comment section below. I would love to read about it. And don’t forget to subscribe for updates regarding upcoming motivational content. You get a free gift if you sign up! ˆˆ

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