There is a lot of talk about positive thinking in the media and for good reason. Believe it or not, the way we feel about ongoing events directly influences our future. Every moment, we set the tune to our life without realizing it. True, you can make your days brighter than they look, but you can also surround yourself with miserable experiences. It all depends on your mindset.
In case you are convinced positive thinking is something people are born with, here is positive news: you can change your outlook. Most likely, you have enough positive experiences to reframe your reality and change your future for the better. Reading this article, you will be amazed by how little it takes to become a positive thinker.
Better than they look: find bright memories to neutralize negative thoughts
As someone with a negative mindset, you deliberately create the worst-case scenario. Also, you support it with the evidence you consider realistic, locking yourself in a cage of irritation and anxiety. Let’s say you are going to a party and anticipate it to be boring. You do not feel like making new friends or talking to people at all, so everyone must ignore you. In fact, realistic does not automatically mean bad. Think of some really good times you’ve had at parties in the past. We are sure you’ve got just the memory capable to lift your spirit—you just do not want to use it.
Every time you start thinking your plans will turn into a disaster, look for positive memories to disprove bad things you imagine. Choose to believe in bright scenarios—after all, they used to happen to you. Why should this time be any worse?
A half-empty glass, or how to teach your brain to notice good things
Any negative thinker is incredibly good at seeing the unpleasant. Again, it is not about what the objective reality is but about how we look at it. If you choose to think negative, everything around you turns grey. Public transit becomes unbearable, your usual lunch lacks any taste, and your work turns you into a zombie. But now you know you can break this vicious cycle.
In everyday situations, try to focus on positive things intentionally. Take pictures of good things that happen around you or note them down in a diary. At the end of the day, look through all the good things that happened. Think of why you can call this day a success. Plan something pleasant that would make you wake up more energetic the next morning. For the first time, you will need deliberate attempts to think in a different way. After a while, positive thinking will become a habit.
Hold good moments close to your heart and practice gratitude
However disappointing our objective reality can be, there are always plenty of things to be joyful about. Focusing on such moments, you will diminish miserable or irritating experiences, and a disappointing daily routine will finally lose its power over you. To make this day come faster, you need to start feeling grateful about positive little things that happen every now and then. Do not strive for all the fortune in the world to come to you tomorrow. Instead, enjoy little pleasures you have and cherish good memories you accumulate. In a while, you will see how much better your everyday life is with them.