How Positive Thinking Can Become a Lifestyle
Is the glass half full or half empty?
If your answer is half full it probably means that you are an optimist. Always thinking on the bright side of things and adding a positive spin to them. Optimism is usually referred to as a trait. Something that comes with personality, which is mostly a fixed feature. This is true, positive thinking can also be achieved through practice.
We believe most people would like to be positive rather than negative. The few who don’t, might think that positive people are just too innocent and ignore the reality of the world. However, positive thinking is not about ignoring reality. Positive thinking is about creating the right setting and mindset to welcome and accomplish great opportunities.
So how does positive thinking welcome opportunities?
- It’s contagious: If you surround yourself with positive thinkers you will see a change in your own thoughts. Vice versa, when you are thinking positively you will encourage others to do so and these people themselves will bring more opportunities to you.
- It becomes your own personal magnet: It attracts positive experiences. Positive thinking will prepare your life for the best possible outcome so when an opportunity rolls by it will fit best into your life.
- It turns problems into opportunities: When a person who doesn’t practice positive thinking comes across a problem, he or she gets discouraged. However, when a person who practices positive thinking comes across a problem, they look at it as an opportunity for something else.
Positive thinking reduces stress, and anxiety: When you think, believe and affirm that the best outcome will come your way, you’ll be in the right mindframe to achieve that outcome. Even if it doesn’t work out right away, you’ll know that there will be another opportunity arising for you to accomplish that outcome. This piece of mind will make you feel more relaxed and calm, and confident of your decisions.
Health benefits: Positive thinking is correlated to a person’s lifespan, depression, less risk of cardiac disease and other health benefits. These benefits are probably due to the accumulation of good habits expressed through the process of positive thinking.
Helps build new skills: Barbara Fredrickson (Psychology professor – University of Michigan) expands on this topic in her research. She shows that kids that are positive thinkers will develop their physical, social and creative skills better than others.
Open up your brain to new solutions: Evolution has wired us to focus when we experience negative feelings such as sadness or fear. This is meant for survival; focusing only on the problem at hand. The issue with this evolutionary instinct is that it stops us from seeing new possible solution, and from seeing the whole picture.
As we mentioned, being a positive thinker is something you can practice and get good at. It does take work, but we have some tips to help you start having a positive thinker lifestyle!
Meditate: stretch, do yoga, do whatever helps you clear your mind.
Smile: Smiling makes your brain activate the same areas that are activated when you have positive thoughts. After all, it takes more muscle power to frown than it does to smile, so just smile! =)
Surround yourself with other positive thinkers: As we said, positive thinking is contagious. It will be easier for you to start thinking positive if the people around you constantly do so as well.
Change your negative thoughts into positive thoughts: When you start to become aware of the negative thoughts that occur in your mind, take a second and challenge yourself to convert them into positives.
Write/read positive thoughts and quotes: Expressing positive thoughts on paper or reading them will train your brain to think in that way. Write three new positive thoughts every morning.
Positive self-talk: Telling yourself and repeating, “I believe in myself” will actually make you believe in yourself, overtime!
Healthy lifestyle: Eat healthy, rest, get some exercise. Being healthy will make you feel vital and powerful throughout the day.
So, tell us now.
Is your glass half full or half empty?
