This is something I have reflected on over this past week, as I chilled out by the beach, in sunny Mexico! Yes, this is the reason why you didn’t hear from me last week. I really needed to take this time off and reflect over my life, priorities and goals, which is something we all need to do once in a while. It’s like pressing a reset button, so we can gain a fresh perspective again. I had to remind myself that we get out of life exactly what we put into it. If we have a negative approach to things that happen to us, we get back more of the negative situations and events. But if we look at life with optimism and find something good to learn from anything that comes to us, we attract more favorable events and have more reasons to feel happy and excited about our life and future.
Quick Quiz: Picture a big glass goblet filled to the halfway mark with water. How do you see it—half-full or half-empty?
Consistently finding the glass half-empty—and the world as a difficult place— is a hallmark of negativity.
Research has found that a negative outlook can contribute to everything from depression to heart disease to lowered immune system function. It can affect sleep, weight maintenance, the quality of your relationships, your social life, and even your ability to hold a job.
Now imagine what it would feel like to approach life from a place of positivity, fun, connection, health, and possibility. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
7 Simple Tips to Make a Positive Switch
To help wipe out negativity, try one or more of the following action steps:
- Go complaint-free. Try going an hour without complaining and see the positive things in your life. Next, try a day, a week, and so on.
- Keep a gratitude journal. Each evening, list 10 or more things that you are grateful for.
- Write a thank you letter to someone who did something good for you. You decide if you actually send it or not. Do this once a week or once a month, or whenever you feel the need to. Just put it out into the Universe and you will get more things to be thankful for.
- Give compliments freely. Notice the good in others. Praise every person you interact with.
- Find beauty everywhere in your world. Notice its gorgeousness.
- Share your good news. Studies show that sharing happy events brings even more happiness.
- Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want.
Maintaining a positive outlook takes practice, and the more you do it, the easier it gets. The payoff—a happier, healthier life—it’s absolutely worth the effort and it’s FREE!
