It’s easy to be negative—to think something bad is going to happen and to think your situation will only get worse. And it can be even easier to think negatively when bad things consistently happen. But, on the flip side, it’s also relatively easy to be positive.
In fact, many people think it’s easier to be positive than it is to be negative. You simply have to train your mind to fall back onto certain tendencies and into the most beneficial thought reactions. Once you do this, there is no “staying positive.” That’s just who you are.
But before you can do this, you have to put in the extra effort. It might be difficult at first and it might be the last thing you want to do, but eventually, it’ll all pay off.
Exercise
As humans, we aren’t meant to sit all day. We are built in a way that requires us to move pretty regularly throughout the day; however, many of us spend our working and living hours in a stationary position, creating physical issues, as well as psychological issues. As generic and as repetitive as it sounds, you need to exercise, or at the very least, get up and move during the day. If you continue to live your life as a permanent sitter, those physical and psychological issues will you eat up and tear you apart, leaving absolutely no room for positivity.
Perfectionism
It’s easy for many people to become obsessed with some degree of perfectionism. Whether it’s the desire to be a perfect parent or a perfect lawyer or to have a perfectly clean home or perfectly organized life, this obsession is the quickest way to a negative outlook. Everything is “not” exactly how it should be, and “nothing” is every completely right. In these scenarios, negativity rules supreme because it always has the final say on how you’re living and what you’re doing wrong. You need to realize that nothing will ever be perfect and that there are things to be learned from your imperfections and imperfect situations that can make you a better, happier, prouder, and more positive person.
Progress
The most positive thinking comes from looking forward onto what’s next. So when you’re struggling with your downfalls or with an imperfect situation, you should automatically consider “what’s next.” This involves you contemplating how you can make a situation better or how you can end something and begin anew elsewhere. Thinking like this inherently means thinking positively. If you fail to think ahead onto what’s next, then you’ll be forced to focus on what is wrong, what you did wrong, and what will continue to be wrong, pushing out positivity in the process.
