15 secrets to staying positive

Being positive is probably the one of the most important traits that all successful entrepreneurs share.  Being able to understand the fact that the challenges and struggles that people face are only temporary is essential to successfully get through difficult situations.  Positivity is, in essence, a trait that demands you make an effort, yet the mindset also keeps you from being overwhelmed by stressful experiences.

You might have noticed that negative individuals tend to also be a little fragile when it comes to handling a bit of stress.  Even worse, they tend to drag others down with them.  This is where being positive changes the rules of the game.  Those who don’t see that the glass is also half full will lose all sense of purpose and wear themselves down much faster than the people who are optimistic.  Think about this: Have you ever seen a pessimistic leader?

Many consider positivity (or negativity) to be something that is out of their control, however, this is a state of mind that anyone can adopt, as long as they see its value and usefulness.  The most important thing that you have to realize about being optimistic is the fact that it is not about projecting or imagining that you have a perfect life.  It is about understanding that everyone goes through difficult experiences every once in a while and that it is important to constantly remind yourself that when the whole situation is over, you will be a better individual, with more experience.

If you see the good in your life, then you will be resilient enough to overcome any obstacle that you may encounter.

Having said that, here are some great tips that you can use in order to be more optimistic, especially when there doesn’t seem to be any way out of a particularly difficult situation.

1. Make of habit out of listening music that puts you in the mood that you want to be in.  Ideally, you could make a playlist of songs that help you remember positive experiences from your past.  Music is like an energy drink that can put you into overdrive in terms of positivity;
    
2. Pay attention to what you eat.  Our state of mind is also determined by what goes into our bodies.  If you eat healthy, your body will get its fair share of nutrients and your mood will change accordingly.  Try drinking smoothies, cooking lighter food, and making sure that you don’t eat too much at once;
    
3. Make your own happiness box.  Keep everything that makes you happy on your computer, or in a box.  You can store pictures, kind messages, or anything else that makes you happy when you look at or read.  Now, every time you feel that you need a morale boost, you can open your box and remind yourself why your life is great;
    
4. Surround yourself with positive people.  Those around you can affect how you feel or what you want in life.  Try to form relationships with individuals that make you fill happy and expand your horizons.  Also, decide if those who bring you down really have a place in your life.  Do not let them drain you of your energy.  While these decisions may be difficult, they must be made for your own good;
    
5. Practice being optimistic.  You have to make an effort if you want to change the way you think.  Try to include positive activities in your day-to-day life. Little by little, you will begin to see the world in a positive light;
    
6. Set clear, achievable goals.  You need to set goals to work toward in order to change your mindset. If you don’t have an active goal, you won’t feel like you’re working for something.  As a result, you will lose confidence and will start focusing on the bad parts of your life.  Try setting small goals, and reward yourself when you accomplish them.  You will see that, little by little, both your behavior, as well as your personality will begin to change for the better;
    
7. Confront pessimistic thoughts with positive ones.  Think of your road to becoming an optimistic individual as a battle.  The part of your personality that sees the world in black and white must be defeat the one that sees it in color.  You cannot win this battle once and for all, you must fight it each and every day of your life.  Luckily, you can do this automatically, by creating positive habits.  Teach yourself to automatically look for the good part of anything negative that you encounter;
    
8. Smile more.  As simple as it may seem, it is also extremely effective.  We smile when we’re happy, however, research has shown that this works the other way around as well.  When we smile, our bodies and brains immediately start acting as if we were happy;
    
9. Consider getting a pet.  It has been proven that cats and dogs can improve their owners’ state of mind.  Also, taking care of an animal will allow you to have some sort of refuge from your work;
    
10. Talk to friends.  Talking to others about whatever problems you may have is vital to both keeping your morale up, and solving the issues.  Friends can help us think of solutions that may not normally occur to us, and they can encourage us, and help us persevere.  You can do this by either actually talking to a friend, calling a family member, or simply sharing your thoughts through a blog post;
     
11. Transform your home into a place that inspires positivity.  Paint the walls in a color that makes you feel great, clean your kitchen, and buy things that will help you relax.  Our home is our safe haven.  If we dislike living in it, then we are missing an important contributor to our happiness.  If you don’t want to buy anything new, then try your hand at DIY projects.  These enable you to create anything you can think of and will also remind you that you were successful in making them;
     
12. Have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself why the bad things in your life should matter at all. Once you come to the conclusion that bad experiences will simply fade away with the passage of time, you will be able to concentrate on the more positive aspects of life;
     
13. Encourage others and share your optimism with those who need it.  You will not only help others better confront their troubles, but also create an environment in which you will thrive. Furthermore, if you build positive relationships, this will, in turn, increase your confidence and give you an optimistic perspective on life.
     
14. Focus on your problems.  You should do this in the sense that you should understand how negativity is keeping you from resolving your issues.  Once you accept the fact that it does have an influence on how you live your life, you will be able to see how to replace it with positive thinking. Do this and your problems will suddenly become easier to resolve.
     
15. Understand that you control everything.  Keep in mind that negativity or positivity does not control your life.  However, you can use them as tools, in order to be happy.  You always have a choice regarding what to do next, or whether the glass is half full or half empty.  Make the choice that makes you happy.