We’ve all heard about the power of positive thinking, and there is much truth behind it. The challenge is that positivity is one of the most sought after goals, yet it can take our entire lives. But being and thinking positively isn’t magic, and even if you can do it, it won’t make all of the negativity in your life disappear. What it will do is help you approach obstacles and challenges with an entirely new look.
Start Your Morning Right
It’s all too easy to grab your phone in the morning and start the day by looking at the news. That can often lead to a quick turn of your mood with the negativity of the outside world. Everything from natural disasters to accidents to politics can quickly ruin your morning.
Instead, start your morning by reading a book as you have breakfast. Allow your mind to stay focused on a positive, uplifting topic and you will find that power of positive thinking. Separately, start your morning with exercise, yoga, meditation, etc. Each of these activities can help you feel energized right from the start and have you thinking positively as you set off and begin your day.
Celebrate Small Wins
It may not seem like a lot, but celebrating all of your small wins can be incredibly helpful in maintaining a positive outlook. A 2011 study by Teresa Amabile from Harvard Business School confirmed that any accomplishment, large or small, will activate certain parts of our brain. When these circuits are activated, dopamine is released, which relates to feeling more positive emotions.
Needless to say, science talks, and celebrating these small wins will help you feel more pride and, in turn, move positivity. Did you finish up a large project at work or hit a goal on your journey to better health? Celebrate each of these small wins and allow yourself to enjoy these victories.
Do Something Kind
There is no question that it is easy to get wrapped up in your own world and forget about the people around you. Doing something kind often requires no investment and little time but leads to a huge reward.
Whether it’s paying it forward at the Starbucks drive-through or putting coins in an expired meter, it can make you feel all kinds of good. This can even be as easy as just giving someone a compliment or donating a bunch of old clothes or books. That feeling can wash over you and help you feel positive and that you have done something special. The result of such a small and seemingly innocuous act can be hugely beneficial and lead you to the power of positive thinking.
Smile
This one may sound odd, but it surfaces time and time again when you think of ways you can apply the power of positivity every day. In a way, smiling can convince your body to think positively even when you don’t have anything to smile about. The best part is that smiling can be contagious. Smile at people who pass you in an aisle at the grocery store or at coworkers as you walk down a hallway. It’s the most basic of tasks but another one that offers a big reward.
Humor can also play a big role in smiling and, likewise, thinking positively. Allowing yourself to laugh and smile at a joke or a movie scene can instantly make you feel positive and warm. You will quickly feel stress come off your body and your mood will change like a light switch. The best part is that you can smile once, twice or a thousand times a day. It’s a completely free and infinite solution that requires almost no effort.
Get Outside
Nature has been proven to be a fantastic method to give a quick boost to positive thinking. There are a variety of studies available that show how being in nature, if only for a short amount of time, can relieve stress. That loss of stress leads to making you feel happier, which pairs with positive thinking.
Go for a ten-minute walk outside or go for two hours. Either way, you are bound to feel some measure of relief from all of your stresses. Your mood will improve and positive thinking will return. The result will be a refreshed feeling, leaving you ready to tackle whatever challenges lie ahead of you. Like smiling and doing something kind, there is no cost associated with going outside, which means it’s something you can do every day, 365 days a year.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
Like waking up each morning and avoiding the news, start each morning by writing in a gratitude journal. Studies have provided insight that our mood can improve and stress lowered by writing things down. The general school of thought is to wake up each morning and write down three things you are grateful for. They can be anything. You can be grateful for big things like your health or job or something small such as the person that complimented your outfit the day before.
Big or small, writing in a gratitude journal will help you focus on all the power of positivity surrounding you. That will translate to a positive mindset that helps you begin each day on the right foot.
Final Thoughts
Applying the power of positivity every day is never going to be easy. The world is full of challenges that are both in and out of your control. Maintaining a positive mindset is something you will need to work on each day. It won’t and shouldn’t come naturally. There will be easier days, but it will never come easy. Positivity is something you will need to work toward, but the reward is a greater level of happiness.
If you want to keep along this positive path, read on to learn seven easy positive changes that will improve your life.