Everyone wants to be successful, and working hard seems to be the way to do it. We carry on working to our best ability, but very few of us actually pay a thought to their own attitude, being happy whenever we get positive outcomes. Maybe we have experienced that it is easier to function with a positive attitude than with a negative attitude. Now, even research is showing that being positive can create true value in our life, and help us in building skills that unlock our true potential.
We can have a life which has a smooth pace with few setbacks when we start being positive. In general, we do not consciously practice positive thoughts, but our attitudes are controlled by the results of our actions, or by the behavior of the people around us. Let’s see what exactly is positive thinking, how we can practice it and how it can contribute to success:
What is positive thinking
Understanding the positive aspect of situations and people and focusing on the ‘good’ things, is being positive. You should be very alert and avoid picking up on the negative attitudes, opinions, thoughts and actions of people around you. Being negative robs you of hope, you become depressed and unhappy and you get into a negative lifestyle.
The first thing to do when you want to change your life/lifestyle is to consciously start working on your thoughts – looking at the bright side of things, wiring your brain/self to hope for the better and working towards it. In an experiment, it was found that if you experience positive emotions such as love, joy and contentment, you will begin to see many more possibilities in life.
How you can unlock your potential
By changing your thought and lifestyle, you become more relaxed as well as more focused. It has been seen that changing our thought processes to constructive benefits us to the extent that we can start building new skills that might serve as stepping stones to success.
For example, children learn skills like communication, social skills, physical skills, creative skills etc when they are joyfully playing. The skills learnt in childhood later develops into college scholarships and so on.
According to a study, positive emotions open up your mind which allows you to learn new things and develops your resources in different areas of life.
Changing your lifestyle from negative to positive helps in getting rid of fears or apprehensions which may be holding you back. You have to be firm about not letting negative thoughts take over yourself. You should rather strategize your future with positive actions.
How to change your thought and lifestyle
The first change you can make is change negative responses when you are dealing with others. For example, instead of replying ‘not bad’ or ‘I’m okay’, when asked how you are, you can start by saying ‘I’m great’. Practicing what you want your life to be like will create a lot of positive energy and positive attitude. It has been observed that believing in a successful reality will bring actual success.
How you can increase positive attitude
You can be more positive by doing the following things:
Meditating
Research reveals that people who meditate on a regular basis are more open to the good things in life, as well as displaying mindfulness, social consciousness, having clear life goals and decreased symptoms of illness. You need not meditate for hours, just 15-20 minutes of positive visualization can be a big help. There are many types of meditation and you can choose the one which feels natural to you to gain the most benefit.
Play
Schedule time for yourself to play, i.e., any activity which is relaxing or thrilling or which makes you happy. This could be painting, exercising, dancing, bungee jumping and so on.
Writing
According to a study conducted on 90 students, it was found that those who wrote about intensely positive experiences had much better moods and made fewer visits to the doctor.
Changing your lifestyle and thought in a positive manner and expecting the best to happen will make good things come your way. Smile more, explore and permit yourself to experience the joy of living, and build new skills which would help you succeed.
