There’s a very old saying, “every cloud has a silver lining” which means that no matter how bad things look now, they will always get better. One of the key elements of happiness in life is positivity. People, who are positive about their lives even when their circumstances are against them, have a greater chance of coping with life situations and staying happier and healthier.
You should never feel hopeless even if you have a dark cloud over your head blocking the sunshine. According to psychologists, difficult times in our lives also play an important role in our learning process because we tend to remember more when we learn through suffering and difficult times.
Being positive comes from being confident and having self assurance. People who are confident and have high self esteem tend not to worry as much about things as those who do not. Self confidence, as we discussed in one of our earlier articles, is the key element to a successful life but success can also come from experience, insight, and regular practice.
What it means to be positive
When we say “positivity in life”, we are talking about having a positive attitude. No matter how bad things look, a positive person, with a positive attitude, will always look at the brighter side of things or events. Staying positive in life means being optimistic about your goals and outcomes, as well as having plenty of enthusiasm and positive energy in whatever you do. Positive attitudes can often change a bad situation and turn it into a good one. A simple smile towards a friend or a neighbor can change their mood a whole lot. My personal experience tells me that when one works with positive people, things will always workout for the better. You just have to recognize who the positive people around you are.
Benefits of staying positive
Being positive has many benefits in every walk of life. It has been observed that positive sales people make more sales, people working in a positive work environment produce more, and people in a relationship keep relationship healthier if they stay positive and have positive interactions. Positivity helps leaders make better decisions, and it reduces stress. We will look into some of the benefits of being positive and its effects on our lives in this article.
1. Positive people live longer
Studies have shown that people who express positive thoughts live on average 10 years longer than people who are negative.
2. Positivity helps you cope better with stress
In any stressful situation, a positive person will always find solutions faster and cope with stress better than a pessimistic person. For example, when an optimistic person is faced with disappointment, such as not being promoted or not getting a job, they tend to look for ways to improve the chances of getting a better job, and doing things to resolve the situation rather than focusing on things that cannot be changed.
3. Positive thinking improves your immune system
Research found that there is a correlation between the way we think and our physical well being. Our bodies often follow our mind and positive energy tends to improve our physical well being as well as fighting diseases and illnesses better. In contrast, the brain waves associated with negative thoughts or anxiety can lead to weaker immune system.
4. Staying positive helps you stay healthy
Positive thinking not only helps you cope with anxiety better and improves your immune system, but it also helps you improve your overall physical conditions. Your internal organs, such as your heart, functions better giving you less cardiovascular problems. You also reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and hyper tension, reducing chances of a stroke.
5. Makes you more tolerant and resilient
If you stay positive, you can cope with anxiety better and become more resilient. This means that when you are faced with a crisis, you can stay strong while finding solutions instead of falling apart.
How to stay positive
Now you know what it means to have a positive attitude in life and how it would benefit you to become a better person. Now let’s see how we can increase the levels of positivity in our personality and make the positive energy work for us.
1. Accept yourself
We all have limitations. Maybe we didn’t get the job we wanted or didn’t achieve the goals we hoped we would. It is best to accept your limitations and focus on your goals. Remember that you are what you are and if you don’t appreciate yourself then no one else will. Self acceptance means recognizing your strengths and weaknesses and working on your weaknesses while identifying your strengths to become a better person. This also means forgiving yourself for mistakes you have made in the past and moving forward.
2. Change negative thoughts
We often have an inner voice telling us that we are going to fail. Uncontrolled negative thoughts can actually escalate and turn you into a negative person. All it takes is a little practice and you can change your negative thoughts into positive ones. Training your brain to think optimistically will require you to separate yourself from negative thoughts because if you dwell on them, they will appear bigger than what your actual problems are.
3. Set positive goals
If you set positive goals, you are going to get positive results. Setting goals means analyzing your situation and analyzing your abilities. Set realistic attainable goals that you can achieve step by step.
4. Express gratitude
When things go wrong it is important to focus on things that have been going right for you. Always be grateful for the things that you have instead of dwelling on the things that you don’t. Doing so will balance out any bad situation.
5. Share your success stories
Whenever you have a success story don’t forget to share it with others. Remember that sharing will multiply your happiness and release your stress.
6. Seek help and support
Sometimes life is so overwhelming that it becomes hard to tackle situations on your own. Don’t hesitate to reach out and seek professional help. Sometimes your close relatives, friends, family members and/or coworkers can comfort you and help you stay positive by offering you an outsider’s perspective.
Complications and stress are part of daily life. How successful we are in our careers or in any aspect of our life depends on how we deal with the demands placed on us and how we cope with our anxiety. Thinking positively about our problems often leads to easier solutions rather than dwelling on our misfortunes.
I hope you found these tips helpful and that you find the time to apply them in your daily life. Becoming a more successful person and a more positive person will also spread the positivity around you.
Source: Balanced Life Team
