A big and important part of being a good person is to be and stay positive. Life gives us lemons, and we have to deal with them. Making lemonade may sometimes seem like a daunting and hopeless task. Sometimes it feels like the lemons you are given are so rotten that lemonade is out of the question. These are the times where positive thinking can make your life a lot easier.
Positive thinking is not always easy, but it can be learned. The power of thought is a powerful thing, and if you practice thinking positive thoughts, it will get easier. After a while positive thoughts becomes a habit.
By practicing thinking positive thoughts, you will become a positive being.
It is time for you to take action and try to find out how positive thinking can change your life.
1. There’s always a silver lining
This is the easiest and most difficult of them all. In every given situation, there is a silver lining to be found. This is hard for some people to accept because yes, there is a lot cruelty going on around the world. And yes, bad stuff happens to good people. When all is said and done, this is however the basis for positive thinking.
I heard this story when I was about 12 years old, and it’s been such a guiding star for me for so many years that I cannot remember who told me anymore. The story really says it all about positive thinking though.
A young married couple got their first child after trying hard to get pregnant for several years. Only 2 weeks after the birth however, the husband lost his life in a tragic car crash. The widow focused her grief and sorrow towards gratefulness.
Yes, you heard me right. She was grateful. She was grateful for the years she got with her husband. She was grateful that he got to meet their beautiful daughter. She was grateful her daughter would have pictures of herself with her proud daddy. She was grateful that she would always see him in their daughter.
Losing her husband with an infant to take care of and all your hopes and dreams shattered is not an easy thing to deal with for anyone. But she got through it feling grateful for what she had.
There’s always a silver lining. Even though the silver lining might only be “I’m glad this didn’t happen before”
2. You’ve got a lot to be grateful for
Being grateful and aware of the things you’ve got will make it easier for you to think positive. Look around you, what do you have to be grateful for? Everything from your life and loved ones, down to the smell of fresh coffee in the morning will help you keep positive thoughts when things get rough
3. The worst case scenario is rarely that bad
We often worry sick over things that are small and insignificant. Look to the worst case scenario. Is it really more than you can handle? Is it really so horrible that you can’t face it? Go through the scenario and think “the worst thing that can happen is ……..” and then “that is bad because …….” And if necessary “and that is bad because …… “
Some times things really are more than we can handle alone. But most of the time it’s not.
4. A smile on your face puts a smile in your mind.
A very effective and very easy tip for positive thinking is to smile. When you find yourself worried, sad or depressed, notice your face. Notice your forehead, eyes and mouth. Relax your forehead. Smile. Try to make the smile go up to your eyes. Keep doing it for at least 30 seconds. Notice the changes in your mood and thought patterns.
5. Remember – You are not alone.
Even when the world seems like the loneliest place in the universe it is important to look around you and face the fact that you really are not alone.
You probably have friends and family somewhere that would love to help and advice you. If not, the internet is full of penpals waiting to make your acquaintance, there are thousands and thousands of blogs dedicated to things that will make you happy, there are probably hundreds if not thousands of people with the same questions, worries and problems as you. You can all find company online.
There are churches, help centers, phone advisors, emergency centers, doctors, priests, counselors, therapists, healers, teachers and even random strangers everywhere who can listen help and support you.
Really, you are not alone.
6. You could draw a straight line between you and anyone you’d like.
When I was younger my older sister worked on an orphanage in a small country in South America for a year. Some times when I missed her the most, I used to imagine a red thread going miles and miles between me and my sister. The fact that I with a long enough thread could connect to my sister, was really comforting to me.
7. It is your choice – you are in control of your life.
Sometimes it feels like a situation is forced upon us, and that we are pushed in to a decision we’re not really comfortable with. Often we think that “they leave us no choice but to …” but this is in fact never true. You’ve always got a choice. You are in control. The alternative might be out of the question, or “not a real option”, but it’s still your choice.
Meaning you are the one in control of your life.
8. Tomorrow is a brand new day.
You do not have to keep doing the things you do. You do not need to keep bad habits, hang with people you feel uncomfortable around, stay in a bad relationship or keep binge eating chocolate when no one is around. Tomorrow is a brand new day. You can make it the beginning of whatever you’d like.
9. You can do it!
Seriously you can! Search the internet, look at all the crazy unlikely things people do. People in wheelchairs cross continents. Blind people reach the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. People with no arms cross the English Channel. Whatever your dream is, you can do it. It might take a bit of creativity, and maybe not happen the way you would prefer. But somehow you can do it. I know you can.
10. There’s still beauty in the world
Beautiful things make us happy. And no matter how dark and cloudy a day, there’s always beauty around you. Look to the skies, the threes and the rain, look to the people around you, the plants and animals, look to the street art, your coffee mug and the snail by your foot. There’s still beauty in the world. You just have to look for it.
