Staying Positive In A Negative World

It's hard for anyone to stay positive in this day and age. Negativity attacks us from every direction. The media seems to thrive on negative news. To them, good news in not news. When was the last time you heard a news anchor broadcast great news on the TV or radio?

Believe it or not, the attitude you project, whether it be positive or negative, can have an affect on those around you. People can feed off of the emotions you put out there, making the highs feel higher and the lows feel even lower.

No one wants to hang around a grump!

Optimists are more successful

Studies from both Harvard and Stanford found that 15% of an individual's success is due to technical skills and 85% is due to attitude.

It makes sense if you think about it. Ever hear the saying, "You reap what you sew"? Well, you get back what you put out and the world will reflect your attitude right back at ya.

Optimists are healthier

In a study published in the "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology", it was reported that optimistic people live longer, suffer from fewer, less severe diseases, and are typically healthier than pessimists.

Staying positive is not easy. So how do you manage it? Here are some tips...

Goals help you move in a positive direction.

People with clear written goals are more positive. If you have goals to focus on, you are focusing forward, towards the future, and not on the day-to-day negativity around you.

If you are a petite, elderly woman, it is highly unlikely that your goal would focus on NBA stardom. That would just be setting yourself up for failure.

Identify and set attainable goals.

Near term goals should just be out of reach, but not out of sight. They should be near enough that you can see them, but out of reach so you must stretch to reach them.

Setbacks are to be expected - even with attainable goals. But, how we respond to those setbacks is our choice. A negative response is to see that setback as a failure. A positive response is to recognize it as a measly setback that might delay you but won't halt you. Try to keep the setbacks in perspective. Look beyond them to the end goal.

End goals are not easily attainable. They are major goals that encourage and motivate.

As an example; nearly every student will experience a poor grade on a test or paper from time to time. Those students that obsess on their poor performance magnify it. They encase themselves with negative thoughts and energy. They are more likely to get discouraged, repeat the performance, drop the course, or even drop out all together.

One of the easiest ways to stay positive in a negative world is by choice. "Choose" to be positive. A positive attitude can be the result of a conscious decision.

Choosing to be positive won't give you a new outlook overnight. You must first break the habit of negative thinking and replace it with the habit of positive thinking.

Discard your negative view and replace it with a positive one. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, stop. Replay those thoughts in your mind, but this time replay them positively.

Practice being positive. Choose to be positive.

Give yourself a pat on the back when you do something well. BIG rewards for BIG accomplishments, little rewards for little accomplishments.

When you reach a goal - celebrate! Give yourself a reward. It will do wonders for your attitude!

Too many people program themselves with negative thoughts. The mind records self talk like a robot. Whatever you program, gets played back.

For example:

A golfer is standing in the tee box, telling himself, "Don't slice. Don't slice". He is engaging in negative self talk. Your robotic subconscious can't tell the difference between positive and negative. It only knows "slice", so that's what you do.

Instead of focusing on what not to do (negative self talk), the golfer should focus on what he wants (positive self talk). Instead of saying "Don't slice" he should be telling himself "Straight down the fairway".

If top performing athletes and such can focus on the outcomes they want, so should you. If you believe you can or cannot accomplish a deed, you are probably right.

Relive past moments of success and victory in your life. Recalling victories will not only help you repeat them, it will give you a victorious outlook.

Somewhat different than reliving past success is projecting future success. Think of what you want and visualize it being achieved. If you want a new car, see yourself driving it. If you want a certain level of financial gain, see it attained. This is different from self talk. Paint a vivid, detailed image in your mind. See it. Script it. Attain it.

Visualizations related to your goals are particularly strong motivators for the subconscious. The subconscious has a hard time distinguishing between a vivid visualization and reality. What you see and believe possible becomes internalized.

However, visualizations that are complete fantasy do nothing. No matter how much I visualize my face on Mt.Rushmore, it ain't gonna happen!

When you visualize victory, you in turn visualize a positive outcome and future.

What do you listen to when you're behind the wheel? Music? News? Sports? Talk radio? Although there is nothing wrong with music or talk radio, there is nothing particularly right with it either. They do little to help improve your outlook or put you in a more positive frame of mind.

Instead of listening to sports or music, think about listening to audio books and/or seminars. Motivational books, audio books and CDs can be found in almost any Barnes & Noble.

Instead of spending your time behind the wheel with your favorite musician/entertainer/disc jockey spend it with some of the most successful motivators in the world. Instead of pure entertainment, seek material that will uplift and inspire you.

And Ignore The things You Can't

The Serenity Prayer begins as such:

God grant me the serenity to
Accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And the Wisdom to know the difference.

There are just some things that are out of our control. You can't control the economy. You can't control the weather.

Don't get yourself aggravated over things that are beyond your control. It's exasperating and it beats you down. As an alternative, focus on things you CAN impact.

Meditation can make your mind calmer and more focused, help you to overcome stress and find some inner peace and balance.

Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from troubled to peaceful, from unhappy to happy.

Prayer helps manage thoughts. It helps focus on things to be grateful for, on the people who matter most in our lives, and on significant goals, in turn helping to gain and preserve a positive state of mind.

When you turn things over to God you are freeing yourself from focusing on things you can't control. When (and if) God does intervene and answer your prayers, it will do wonders for your view on the world.

Every once in a while, taking a break will do wonders for your mental outlook. Taking a break can rejuvenate you both physically and mentally.

But how does it help you stay positive?

It's FUN! And "Fun" helps your attitude.

For every situation, there are good and bad outcomes. Instead of driving yourself crazy, think through the worst outcome. What IS the worst thing that can happen? Face it head on. If it DID happen, what would you do? Could you handle it? If you can face the worst thing that can happen, everything else is cake. Well, maybe not cake, but better.

You know the sayings; "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" and "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger".

So, even if the worst DOES happen, you know you can handle it. No worries, no fears. You can now move ahead with a positive attitude, working towards a better outcome.

"Don't Quit" is a well known inspirational poem that may (or may not) have been written about Thomas Edison.

Though a number of people claim to have written the poem, its true author is unknown.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow.
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out.
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

We are all blessed. We live in a day and age where we lack little. Still, among our day-to-day problems and stresses, it's just too easy to forget our blessings.

Don't.

Take the time to count your blessings. Offer a prayer of thanks. Give your attitude a lift!

Peers can affect us throughout our lives.

We tend to reflect the outlooks of the people we associate with. Attitude is contagious. Hang out with negative people and you will begin to adapt a negative outlook that mimics their worldview. They are like black holes and will suck the positive energy right out of you.

Associate with positive people and you will view the world optimistically. Surround yourself with positive people. Those that will build you up and support your dreams.

Nourish your attitude by associating with positive people.

Dream killers are those individuals that tell you why your dreams are unrealistic. While you're reaching, saying "I can," a dream killer holds you down, saying "You can't."

They kill your attitude. They kill your dreams.

Your dreams are a threat to the dream killer. They fear facing what might have been. They fear their own inadequacy and lack of worth.

We encounter dream killers throughout our day, every day. Be wary of those around you who want to push you down when you need a lift up.

Successful people who overcome the odds are an inspiration. Their lives lift our spirits. They function as role models.

When we study successful people we can realize the possibilities in our own lives. We are encouraged and motivated.

We already know that exercise is good for you. But, did you also know that it's one of the best things we can do to stay positive?

Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural chemicals produced by the brain. According to medical research, endorphins, "reduce pain and induce a sense of well-being. Thus, exercise appears to help improve mood and energy levels and may even help alleviate depression."

Exercise improves your mental sharpness. It gives you more energy. It also lowers your blood pressure and heat rate, thus allowing you to react better to stress, in turn improving your decision making.

The challenge is getting started. Make it a priority. You'll feel better and you'll have a more positive outlook on life.

 Some people limit their future by looking back at the wrong moment. Instead of focusing on the road ahead, they look back at their previous failures, sapping energy and will. They permit old failures to overtake them.

The past is just that, the past. You can't change it but you can learn from it. So learn from your past, and then set it free. Don't let your future be limited by your past. Focus on today and tomorrow. You can change the present. You can prepare for the future.

Psychologist Theodore Rubin stated that "Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best."

Not many things improve your attitude and outlook as much as hard work. Applied effort is extremely satisfying. Hard work can be it's own reward. When we work hard we feel good.

Play is important. It's a release. It's fun! And, it's almost impossible to have a bad attitude when you're having fun.

There's something about the power of a "written" goal that makes it more substantial.

There's something about writing the goal down that forces a psychological commitment. When a goal is written, the impression on the subconscious is stronger. The pull is stronger. Written goals have added strength.

Written goals are influential motivators. they direct your subconscious in a positive, forward direction. Your subconscious directs you.

If every day was absolutely wonderful, how would we know? We wouldn't.

Good and bad are two sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other.

The next time things are going really well, stop and take a moment. Store the memory. Remember the feeling. Draw upon it during a bad day. Use it as an anchor during difficult times, remembering that whatever it is will eventually blow over and the sun will once again shine.

Remember, without an occasional bad day we would never be grateful for a good one.

"Miracles happen every day. Not just in remote country villages or at holy sites halfway across the globe, but here, in our own lives."
- Deepak Chopra

I dreamed impossible dreams. And the dreams turned out beyond anything I could possibly imagine. You know, from my point of view, I'm the luckiest cat on the planet.
- Hugh Hefner

Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.
- J.K. Rowling

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
- Charles Dickens

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
- Helen Keller

"One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. "
- Lucille Ball

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier."
- Author Unknown

I know they drive me crazy!

You're stuck behind a driver's education vehicle in a no passing zone.

The elevator stops on every floor and no one gets on.

There's always a car riding your tail when you're slowing down to find an address.

You open a can of soup and the lid falls in.

It's bad enough that you step in dog poop, but you don't realize it until you walk across your living room carpet.

You can never put anything back in the box the way it came.

You slice your tongue licking an envelope.

Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.

The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian finish crossing.

You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom knob to get out.

People behind you on a supermarket line dash ahead of you to a counter that just opened up.

You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.