How To Be A More Positive Person

It all begins and ends with your mind, what you give your power to, has power over you, if you allow it.

Writing a blog called Those Positive Thoughts means I kind of have to stay in a positive mind-set, but I’m only human and negativity can easily creep into my thoughts. However, what I do understand about positive thinking is it’s completely up to us. It’s our choice whether we want to be more positive or walk around feeling sorry for ourselves and drowning in negative thoughts.

There will be periods in life when positive thinking seems impossible and it can be hard to shift those negative thoughts. But I do believe that this life that we’re living is a miracle, I mean we’re floating in this gigantic universe and we shouldn’t let tiny insignificant events impact our thoughts as much as we currently let them.

First things first, to become a more positive person, you need to change your mindset. Obviously, this isn’t something which can be done overnight so let’s start with four things you need to STOP doing to become more positive:

Stop caring what others think

When you worry about what others think of you, you hold yourself back from being yourself and doing what you love. Life becomes lot easier once you learn to stop caring about what other people think of you. Because nothing should have the power to hold you back in life. Nobody should take away your confidence and stop you from living out your dreams.

Stop blaming others

When you blame other people for your circumstances you’re dis-empowering yourself. But if you accept that you’re accountable for your words, actions and thoughts you can learn from you’re mistakes and make the necessary improvements where you feel fit. This will allow you to feel in control of your life and therefore have a positive outlook on your future, after all, you’re in control!

Stop seeing failure as a negative

Sometimes we can be scared of failing at something that we decide not to even do it or we undermine our own efforts, then if we don’t do well then we can say it’s because we didn’t try. But failure shouldn’t be seen as such as negative thing because without failure we wouldn’t be able to learn and to grow.

Stop your need to always be right

Not everyone is going to agree with your opinion and if you want to improve your relationships and be a more positive person then you need to give up your need to always be right. You don’t need to give up your beliefs but you can simply look at things from a different perspective, because unless you’ve lived someone else’s life, you will never fully understand their reasoning.

Feeling a little more positive yet? Here are four things you need to START doing to become more positive:

Start believing in yourself

It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.  One of my favourite things which I took from the book You Are a Badass* by Jen Sincero, is the line “I just want to see if I can”. If you’re having trouble believing in yourself, just say to yourself “I just want to see if I can” and then do exactly that, and see what happens. Doing this will help you take action and eventually buildup that belief in yourself. Because the more you believe in yourself the more you will accomplish and the happier you will be.

Start accepting constructive criticism

As painful as it can sometimes be to hear constructive criticism, it’s the type of feedback which we need the most in order to grow and develop. When I was a teenager I found it very difficult to accept any level of constructive criticism. At the time all I could hear was words of critique. Now that I’m a older I can accept constructive criticism and use it to  improve myself.

Start laughing at yourself

Life becomes that little bit easier when you have a sense of humour. Being able to laugh at yourself can make frustrating situations more tolerable and most importantly when you laugh at yourself you will radiate positivity and optimism.

Start being grateful

Expressing gratitude will do absolute wonders for your mind-set. Being grateful will shift your focus onto your positive life experiences and help you appreciate your life. At the end of each day ask yourself what you’re grateful for, doing this will lift your self-esteem as you recognise your own achievements and become less concerned over the things which you don’t have or haven’t yet done.

And here are some more ways you can become more positive:

Speak to someone and vent

Sometimes you just need to vent and let it all out in the open. Journaling can be helpful but if something is really bothering you, it’s best to call your best friend and let it out. Every time I call my mum with a “problem” I always finish the call feeling like I was worrying or stressing for no reason at all and everything is good again in the world!

Utilise free sources

There are tones and I mean TONES of free sources online which you can and should be utilising. My blog Those Positive Thoughts is a prime example of free information and advice you can use to change your mind-set. Or why not check out my favourite personal growth YouTube channels or my favourite books for a positive mind or how about my favourite self-development podcasts! The choices really are endless.

Use affirmations

I use to think that affirmations were kind of lame and I felt a little weird about them, but they actually work. If you’re in a negative mind-set or if you’re feeling like you’re going to have a bad day before your day has even began then that’s the time to use affirmations. Saying positive statements to yourself out loud will help shift your mind into a completely different and positive perspective.

Laura x