Last update: 26 November 2017
Becoming a positive person, if we aren't already, may seem like a simple feat, but it often isn't. Choosing a positive way of thinking is very important, especially if we share the idea that “we are what we think”. If we think positive, if we adopt an optimistic attitude, we will have many more advantages than a pessimistic and defeatist way of thinking.
But why is positive thinking so important? What are the benefits of being optimistic? What needs to be done to replace the microchip and start seeing things more positively? Can we really change the way we think?
Something positive is better than nothing negative.
Elbert Hubbard
A positive mind is a powerful mind
A positive attitude can certainly help us achieve otherwise unattainable goals. In this sense, adopting a new way of thinking can make the difference between who we are and who we aspire to become.
We often tend to blame others for our failures or adversities. We are convinced that they contribute to our downfall, but this is not always the case. The next time a project fails or you have problems, carefully evaluate yourself and the situation you are in. In many cases the mind controls the way we do and react to people and circumstances.
A positive person can do many things to ensure their personal well-being. What benefits do we get when we choose to think positively instead of falling into the temptation of pessimism? Every thought and every decision we make has a certain influence on our life.
The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change their future simply by changing their attitude.
Oprah Winfrey
Changing habits to become a positive person
Optimism is a way of being that develops with time and growth, but this does not mean that we cannot reprogram our way of thinking, of seeing things. Fortunately, as studies show, we can learn to see the world more positively and more confidently.
To do this, we need to change our habits. In fact, habits are crucial when it comes to decreeing success, but they can also be responsible for our failures. Good or bad they are, habits are inevitable and part of our life, they have the power to transform our habitat and determine our way of being.
Also read: Grandma's Tips for Becoming Better People
Establishing what good habits are is no easy feat, even for successful people. An effort must be made to insert new routines. Being proactive and working hard to succeed is a challenge for anyone.
Striving to be proactive, instead of reactive, increases the chances of becoming a positive and optimistic person. To begin with, it is important to keep in mind that it is better to set positive goals instead of eliminating negative habits right away.
Habits of a positive person
Here are some tips that can help you cultivate positive thinking, foment optimism, and become a positive person.
1. Find the positive and optimistic side in negative situations: one of the simplest, but perhaps the most effective, tips for developing a positive outlook is to always ask yourself useful questions. The goal is to see the positive side of every situation, to transform the circumstance into an opportunity.
2. Cultivate and live in a positive environment: Choose carefully the people you want to spend your time with and the things to do every day. People, but also what you see, hear, read… in order to maintain an optimistic attitude it is essential to surround yourself with positive and comforting influences.
3. Proceed slowly: rushing is always counterproductive. If you think, speak and move quickly, you will enter a spiral of stress and superficiality. To acquire positive habits, you need to go slowly.
4. Stop - breathe - focus: do not make a bundle of all the grass. It's easy to lose perspective if you're stressed and rushed. When you feel that the negative thought is absorbing you, stop, breathe and change direction of your thoughts.
5. Bringing positivity to the environment: it is said that you receive what you give. If you give positivity and optimism to those around you, you will receive the same. How you treat others and your opinion of them influence how you treat yourself. Start helping, listening and smiling.
6. Lead a healthy lifestyle: Exercise regularly and sleep well. This will keep your body healthy and your mind clear. You will have the energy to keep thoughts in check and spot glimmers of negativity.
7. Respond to criticism in a healthy way: criticisms are inevitable, both those made and those received. The key is to learn how to manage them in a healthy and constructive way, first of all identifying what is objective in the critical and what, instead, is the result of a personal opinion or perception.
Either way, don't take criticism personally, just let it go. In the end, they are certainly not universal truths. If you can learn something, if you can improve thanks to criticism, then take advantage of it.
8. Start the day in a positive way: the way you start the morning sets the course of the whole day. So pay attention to how you wake up and start your day.
9. Smile! A positive person smiles a lot, all the time. When you smile, you bring optimism, convey good humor and positive vibes, show respect. When you smile, you send a message to the brain that everything is fine. Everything is easier with a smile.
It is impossible not to have thoughts, no matter how hard you try, but you can choose what to think. As they say in the movie The Strength of the Champion, “life is a choice, you can choose to be a victim or whatever else you propose to be”.
