“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” John Wooden
Do you spend time thinking if only this or that would have happened? Do you think about all the advantages that everyone else has and that you don’t? Do you see a failure as the end of the road instead of a bump in the road of your success? Where’s the sunshine? Where’s the positivity? Here are some tips to help you look at the bright side because that’s what will keep you feeling…“if anyone can do it, I can do it”.
1. MAKE a GOOD day happen. Waiting, hoping and wishing seldom has a place in the vocabulary of positive individuals. Passivity leads to a lack of involvement; positive people get very involved in creating their lives. They make changes to feel better in tough times rather than wishing their feelings away. YOU have the power!
2. Don’t think that quitting is giving up. Instead of hanging on to ideas, beliefs, and even people that are no longer good for you-trust your judgement (your inner feelings) and let go of negative forces in your life. This is a plus, not a minus.
3. Be Grateful. Don’t focus on the bads…the failures. Focus on your success; start with the very small ones that you may make in a day, a week, a month and so on. We can become lost in what isn’t working and lose track of what IS working.
4. The past stays in the past. Don’t spend your time thinking about what was-instead get busy making new memories. Don’t use your negative experiences as regret and remorse, but as lessons learned and stepping stones towards your ultimate dream.
5. Don’t let fear rule. Those who are defined and thwarted by their fears don’t receive the benefits of living a full life. Fear can keep you from trying new things. Facing failure is necessary to lead a successful life. You have to have the confidence to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and start all over again when you’ve been knocked down by life events or your own mistakes. Just keep on, keepin’ on!
6. Be energized by possibilities. Think of what you can do, not what you can’t do. There isn’t only one solution to every problem; be confident that there are “more ways than one of digging for money”. Don’t be afraid to try new solutions to old problems. You should feel you have the ability and freedom to do anything you want to do. Why not think that way? Many of the limitations we have are the ones we put on ourselves.
7. Rain in Spain, Falls Mainly on the Plain. Be a good communicator. It’s important to be an assertive, confident, and clear communicator. Avoid judgmental, angry interchanges; nothing useful comes from those communications. Express yourself with tact and finesse. Refuse to own problems that belong to someone else.
8. Believe in yourself! When you feel positive on the inside it is like you are smiling from within, and this feeling is contagious. There will be times that you will find others will disagree with you, and will think your ideas or beliefs are way off base. You believe in yourself. See the happiness in life, and have a sense of humor even when it is about yourself. Remember not to take yourself too seriously!
9. Positivity isn’t without sadness. If you are positive you can still be sad. Anyone who has any depth at all is certainly not happy all the time. Being sad, angry, disappointed, frustrated, are all essential emotions in life. How would you ever develop empathy for others if you lived a life of denial and shallow emotions? Positive people don’t run from these emotions, but instead accept that part of the healing process to allow themselves to experience all types of feelings, not only the happy ones. A positive person believes in hope and that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.