Stop negative thinking – 6 positivity boost tips

Are you sick of being negative all the time? Do you or people you know need a positivity boost? Our positive spirit is the Adventurer in us. It is the part of us that glimpses what we are capable of. Through learning how to think positively about our goals, and to act positively in our daily habits, we attract to ourselves all the means which make our goals achievable. Here are the main ways you can become more positive.

Create a positive self-image

Your self-image is the person you think you are. You are your own creation. When your self-image is low, you attract into your life all the experiences and conditions that tell you how poor you are. Conversely, when your self-image is high, you attract experiences telling you how great you are. The easiest way to create the self-image you want is through your self-talk. Simply control the chatter in your head. Boost your morale regularly, morning, noon, and night with what you tell yourself.

Talk in terms of positive goals

Our brains need images of positive goals to work towards. They become confused if we feed them negative goals. So, if it is your aim to give up smoking, don’t say: “I want to stop smoking”. Instead, say “I want to enjoy a pleasant evening out with a couple of refreshing drinks, breathing in fresh, revitalizing, clean, pure, uncontaminated, healthy air.”

Have positive expectations

Numerous experiments confirm the truth that when you expect the best, you usually get the best, and when you expect the worst, you usually get that too. This is known as the self-prophesying principle. So, at the start of any new enterprise or at the start of each new day, look forward with expectations of the very best.

Always review positively

If we are positive at the start of an enterprise, we should be equally positive at the end when we review. Many people become discouraged when things don’t go to plan and they beat themselves up for missing out on the one thing that didn’t work. But there are always gems of real worth in every situation, even apparent disasters, if we only look hard enough. One way to review positively is to use igniter phrases rather than chloroform phrases. So, an obstacle is not a “barrier” but a “challenge”; a setback is not a “disaster” but a “chance to learn”; and a tough problem is not a “failure”, but “a nut we’re going to crack”.

Mix with positive people

One of the biggest drains on our enthusiasms is to be surrounded by people who are negative. They may be well-meaning with their warnings but they are misguided. You have two choices if you want to survive as a positive person: avoid them or train them. One clever way to train negative people is to simply ignore them when they use discouraging conversation. Simply blank them. Then when they return to positive expressions, re-connect. Very soon, they will learn that you are a person who has a sunny disposition and they will simply drop their previously gloomy attitude with you.

Get the positivity habit

Good habits are as easy to make as bad ones. It’s simply a matter of choice and repetition. So, if you want the positivity habit in your life, do these things every day:

• dress the best you can

• smile more

• try to genuinely like others

• give people positive strokes of recognition

• give people the most precious gift you have: more of your time

• when you meet a stranger, be the first to shake hands

• be interested in the world around you

• be thankful for everything you get.

Positivity is not a Pollyanna-ish rose-tinted view of things which ignores reality, but a choice we make about thinking, acting, and speaking which creates reality. As such, it has the power of magic.

If you want to learn more about how to change your attitude, we recommend the free eBook “Maximising Your Potential – Be all you can be!” written by Eric Garner.