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Practice Positivity: Five Tips for How To Be More Positive
I think we can all agree that the world would be a much better place to live and work if we all practiced a bit more positivity -- choosing to
emphasize on what is working in our lives, focusing on the good in people, and ignoring the negativity that surrounds us and often drags us down.
What are the benefits of positivity? Besides feeling better -- and making others around you feel better -- positivity reduces stress, which can lead
to better mental and physical health, including reduced blood pressure, lower levels of depression, increased lifespan, great feelings of well-being,,
and better coping skills for those tough times.
What are you waiting for? Start spreading the positivity -- beginning with yourself since many of us are way too hard on ourselves, but continuing
with sharing your joy, appreciation, and thanks with those around you. Here are 5 tips for how you can help yourself become more positive.
Five Positivity Tips: How to be More Positive
- Start each day with a positive affirmation. Something as small as a simple reminder of what is good in your life
helps, such as "I have my health, a good job, and supportive friends," or "I am happy and thankful for the people and
gifts in my life." Or it can be a favorite quote... or you can even buy a book or subscribe to a daily affirmation list.
The point is to start each day -- while you are still waking up from sleep -- on a positive note.
- Get over yourself; no one is perfect. Sometimes the hardest route to being positive is the dark cloud that envelops
us when we think we made a mistake -- or worse, a dumb, easily avoided mistake -- but the truth is that we are often way too
hard on ourselves and make bigger deals out of something than necessary. When you make a mistake, take note of it and how
you can avoid it in the future, and move on. Stop dwelling on it.
- Laugh more; find humor in situations. Of the many things I love about my wife, near the top of the list is
her contagious laugh and wonderful sense of humor -- that not only diffuses any bad situation, but makes silly or clumsy
situations all the funnier... and you cannot be negative when you are laughing. Laughing offers many health benefits --
it lowers blood pressure, works on your abdominal muscles, triggers the release of endorphins, and produces a greater sense of well-being.
- Observe healthy self-care. If you do nothing else in this article other than improve your self-care, it may be
enough to power your positivity. What is healthy self-care? It means eating real food -- quality, non-processed protein,
fruits, and vegetables -- and avoiding sugar. Eating correctly is amazingly transformative. But eating well is not enough;
you also need to exercise as part of healthy self-care. You could certainly join a gym (especially for the moral support),
but you can easily walk and do simple exercises in your home. Just remember to start any workouts slowly -- and with approval
from your doctor.
- Volunteer your time in your community. Sometimes we get caught up in our own little bubble, and if things are
not going well, we can easily get dragged down by events. One of the remedies for this situation is helping others -- whether
it is simply visiting with a sick or homebound neighbor or volunteering in your community. Helping others, making a positive
difference in other people's lives, no matter how small, provides us with a better sense of self -- and often helps us realize
that some of the issues nagging us are minor compared to what others are dealing with.
Final Thoughts on Positivity
Always remember that how you deal with a situation -- or people --
is a choice. You can
choose to focus on the positive and spread love, or you can
choose to be negative and spew hate... Positivity will help you feel better, live longer -- especially if you follow all the tips in this article.
As one of my favorite pastors said recently: "When you complain, you remain. When you praise, you raise." We need to be more encouraging,
more uplifting, more positive -- because our actions are uplifting, not just to ourselves, but to those around us. Thanks, Pastor
Shane, for your positive message!
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is an educator, author, and blogger, as well as founder and CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com,
a network of empowering and transformative Websites, including EmpoweringAdvice.com.
Dr. Hansen has been helping empower people to achieving success his entire adult life.
He is also founder of EnhanceMyVocabulary.com,
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, and
EmpoweringRetreat.com.
He is a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds
of articles. Dr. Hansen is also an educator, teaching business
and marketing at the college level for more than 25 years. Learn more by visiting his personal Website,
RandallSHansen.com. You can also check out
Dr. Hansen on Google+, as well as
Dr. Randall Hansen on LinkedIn.
