One of the most powerful habits that I’ve picked up in the past 10+ years is to stop being pessimistic and to think in a more optimistic and constructive way instead.
It makes life feel lighter and not so burdensome.
It opens up new paths towards where you want to go and it helps you to more easily overcome setbacks (and often get something good out of them).
You’ll feel less worried and sorry for yourself and more motivated to keep taking action.
So the benefits of optimism are great.
But how do you adopt this habit?
Well, learning to think in a less pessimistic and more positive way may sound a bit vague.
So in this week’s article I want to break it down into 10 practical tips and smaller habits that you can start using today.
Overcoming your natural tendency to negativity or boosting your positive one for greater results is a matter of very small steps or habits forged in the daily battle of the everyday. You are welcomed to try out these ten basic habits exercised by those positive people you always wanted to look like.
1. They say Thank You
Gratitude is on the top list for developing a positive mindset. Through the study, the Science of Gratitude, the University of Pennsylvania revealed how the amount of gratitude we show, is one of the greatest contributing factors to our overall happiness. “Thank you for” three times per day is proven to be enough to develop positive levels of it.
2. They wrap up their day with a list of 3 positive things they are thankful for
Positive thinking before bedtime will help improve your overall sleeping patterns while creating better long-term mental health, a more rested mind and body, and a less stressed lifestyle. In addition to this benefits for body and mind, writing down at least three good things that have happened to you over the day is one of the best ways to create a positive mindset for the following morning and the busy week ahead.
3. They define themselves by strengths and successes
Focus on what you are good at will by definition bring you to the bright side of life. We all have flaws and weaknesses. We all make mistakes. We are sometimes wrong. We fail and struggle. Focus on what did not go well will just burn the energy that you need in order to start over or change the orientation. Is not about ignoring this dimension. You need to be aware of it to improve or amend what it is needed. But being aware is not the same that been focused on something. The focus should always be on the strengths that can make you great and the successes that prove the possibility of things going well.
4. They focus on role models in order to strengthen their weaknesses
As creatures of comfort, we often refuse to abandon our comfort zone, lacking the motivation, especially after having experienced the outcomes of our weaknesses. When we do not feel the urge to strive for better, the figure of role models could help us to score big in the game of positive thinking. Through those that we admire (not envy), we can be driven for better in the path for self-improvement. Positive people find their role models among those people they love. Focus on those traces from each role model that you would also like to get in order to become your best you.
5. They have learned how to deal with their bad thoughts
In the book, The Happiness Trap, author Russ Harris says 80% of everyone’s thoughts contain some sort of negative content. It is normal to have negative thoughts. The problem comes when we believe our thoughts are true.
Positive people understand that negative thoughts are part of our heritage but they do not let their reality be biased by these emotions. Otherwise, they label their thoughts as something independent from reality, they depurate them through techniques such us singing them out or exteriorizing then through funny voices and they finally let them fly away.
6. They do not complain about the weather
There is quite a lot of literature proving the different impacts that weather can have on our moods and it is so generally accepted that complaining about it has become a common trace of human behavior. Positive people find in here a clear opportunity to exercise their positive thinking process. You just need a good pair of boots to enjoy the rain and solar protection to appreciate the effects of sun vitamin D in your skin.
7. They focus on finding solutions
Negative people tend to focus on how bad they feel about what it is happening. But procrastinating on the negative emotions is simply useless, it consumes lots of energy and it keeps us dispersed and ineffective. Positive people rather use the energy to focus on finding solutions.
8. They explore different alternatives
Positive people understand that option B and C are as valid as option A. Things going differently than expected does not mean that things are going wrong.
9. They expect for good
The biggest defining elements for good things to happen is the action of expecting them and working for them to happen. Positive people hope to achieve positive and perform under the light of this condition.
10. They smile to people first
People who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts can significantly and immediately improve their mood. People who are surrounded by happy people are more likely to become happy in the near future. Positive people proactively contribute to expanding the wave of happiness by smiling first. Kindness leads to kindness while unkindness calls to unkindness.
Do not forget love as the enclosing component of every positive process. Love is the transcendental element that makes coherent a life of positive thinking. Something as tiny as eight hugs a day can increase internal oxytocin levels and result in a happier you and a better world.
