Becoming a Positive Thinker

The Truth Hurts, But It's Better Than The Alternative

Negative emotions can spiral. If you want to stop letting yourself sink down into bad feelings, you can train yourself to let the light in. You can learn to find the bright side and stay positive, avoiding negativity in your life, and going about the process of improving yourself for the better.

Part 01 - Find The Bright Side Of Yourself

1. Start smiling more.

When you smile, your brain activates neural messages that actually make you feel more positive. Even if you're feeling kind of "blah," make your face do the work of brightening up your day. It works. (Belgians are a typical example)

• An added bonus? When you smile, you'll spread positivity around to other people, putting other people in good moods as well. It's good for everyone.
• If you're not in a great mood, complaining about it won't make it any better. Practice forcing yourself to smile, and it'll become second nature.

2. Make little changes in the words you use.

It's easy to say things that can accidentally bring you down. Using positive words, as opposed to negative words, has a proven effect on your mood and your attitude.

• Don't identify yourself with your feelings. Don't say, "I am sad" or "I am frustrated." Instead, put the negativity elsewhere. Say, "That movie made me feel sad" or "This task is difficult and frustrating."
• Avoid making sentences like "I hate myself" or "I think am the dumbest child of my parents or worst still I am a failure." Even if you have failed in 99.9% of all the things that you ever try doing, say to yourself "I am only gonna stop trying when I have the perfect shot."

3. Do nice things for others, even if you don't feel like it.

Not having a great day? That doesn't mean you have to act like it. Choose to spread positivity around, and the smiles you get in return will do a lot to make you think more positively. Here a few little ideas for things you can do to brighten someone else's day:

• Clean up the house before your partner or roommate gets home
• Pick up coffee or donuts for your office
• Mow your neighbor's yard, or shovel their driveway in winter
• Just say hello and compliment a stranger
• Just put a smile on your face when you speak to anyone in public places
• Say thank you if anyone offers you some assistance

4. Spend more time with people who make you happy.

If you want to think positively, surround yourself with other positive thinkers, and with people who bring out the best in you. Hang out with people who are supportive, friendly, and like you for who you are.

• If you don't like hanging out with someone because they put you in a bad mood, stop hanging out with them.
• Stop making friends with people who talk negative about you in your absence.

5. Find positive quotes or mantras to keep with you.

One great way to keep your outlook bright is to keep little quotes or sayings that you like in your pocket, on your phone, or otherwise in your mind as you go about your day.

• Subscribe to positive affirmation feeds on Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook to keep your social networking more positive an influence in your life.
• Unsubscribe from any social media platform that attracts negative thinking and self downgrading.

6. Keep a journal and record each day.

If you sometimes end the day on a sour note, train yourself to turn that around. Instead, pour yourself a cup of tea, or another beverage of your choice, and sit down with a journal and write it out. Just sit down and start writing about your day. What happened? What went right? What went wrong? Put it all down.

• Write down three things that went well and explain why they went well. Write down three things that didn't go well, and explain why they didn't go well. Be as specific as possible in describing the events.
• Read back over what you wrote. Sometimes, what seems super-dramatic in your mind will suddenly seem much more minor when you actually read it out. Was it really worth all that negativity?