11 Tips for Keeping a Positive Attitude
Why you should not underestimate the power of having a positive attitude? The answer is simple: by keeping a positive attitude, you shape your perspective, increase your productivity, improve your relationships and even your health.
I want to share an exercise I’ve been quietly practicing that always proves to work. Every time my family gets into a car for a ride somewhere (and where we live, our drives are usually at least half an hour long), I try to start a conversation holding a positive tone. What happens is everyone follows and we have a happy interaction. I notice that whenever any of us drops a negative comment or a complaint; in other words, has a negative attitude, it also sets the tone for the conversation: everyone now is grumpy or yelling at each other and it becomes an unpleasant interaction.
Having a positive attitude sets the tone for your conversations as well as for your day and your life: people want to hang around you more, help you and follow you. But how do you keep a positive attitude when you don’t feel like it?
A positive attitude doesn’t come automatically. It is a result of working in your beliefs, expectations, habits, and focus. It takes some work at first, but, as with any new habit formation, it gets easier with time.
I encourage you to try the tips below to practice having a better attitude, then notice the positive impact it has in your life. Work on these on a daily basis before you implement other techniques suggested in our other posts. Get back to it whenever you feel you need a refresher.
Use the tips below to help you maintain a positive attitude
- Bring a smile with you
Smiling is free, feels good, and can reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate, and actually improve your mood. Science has shown that your physical expressions can have an effect on your emotions just as you feel like smiling when you feel happy. Smiling can enhance your outlook in life, so try wearing one!
- Establish a happy morning routine
You already have morning routines in place to help get ready for the day, like brushing your teeth, getting fed, dressed and out the door (if you work outside of your home). Thrown something in that will also boost your mood. Think of things that will fill you with positive feelings, such as:- Taking a walk or a run
- Reading or watching something inspiring
- Eating a healthy breakfast
- Listening to music that you love
- Shift your questions to positive ones
Positive questions help change your focus. Instead of the usual “why does this always happen to me?”, ask positive questions instead and you’ll get positive answers.- What’s great about this situation?
- How can I use this to my advantage?
- What have I learned from this?
- Be around people that have a positive attitude
You may use all the other tips listed here, but when you are surrounded by people that bring you down, it will be challenging to maintain a great attitude. Seek out the company of people with a positive attitude and spend as much time with them as you can. There is truth to the saying “You are who you surround yourself with.” - Practice gratitude
A natural human attitude is to focus on what you don’t have or is wrong. And as long as you just acknowledge it with the purpose of taking action to fix it, that’s ok. But if that’s where all your attention goes to, it will affect your mindset and attitude negatively. When you change your focus and remind yourself of all the great things you already have, though, things start to take a turn for the better. Practice gratitude each morning and evening: you can start by making a list of the people, things, and experiences that make you feel grateful. It doesn’t have to be something big: many times we take for granted the obvious things we can be grateful for. Like a warm shower, or drinking a glass of water when we’re thirsty. - Think positive thoughts
If you put no thought into your thoughts, your mind will default to random and in general, negative thoughts. It’s just how we are built. This is why it’s so important to take control of what goes through our mind. Yes! You can control your thoughts. Be mindful of your thoughts, and keep them positive. What is going through your mind and your attitude are closely related. - Make exciting plans
Do you make plans for achieving goals at work so you know what you are tackling each day? How about at home, do you have a to-do list of chores? But what about for fun? It’s so much easier to be happy when you have something exciting to look forward to in the near future. Planning a trip to Paris would be incredible, but you don’t need it to be major holiday for it to work. Planning to watch a good movie or going to a walk with a friend can make your week more enjoyable. Have at least one thing fun planned every week to look forward to. - Remember happy events
When you are feeling down, remembering some good times you’ve had does the trick for lifting your mood instantly. Spend a few minutes remembering a fun trip you took, a concert you have enjoyed, or a good conversation with friends that made you laugh. Five minutes remembering positive experiences can get your attitude back on track. What is your happiest memory from childhood? How about the last year?
- Enjoy the simple things
As in with your gratitude practice, take notice that the simple things can be the most meaningful. Playing with your child or enjoying an chocolate brownie can be as enjoyable as making a million dollars or scuba diving in Cancun. Focus on the simple things you do each day and remember to enjoy them. - Adjust your expectations
When we hold unreasonable expectations and they don’t come to fruition, it is easy to feel discouraged and frustrated. Life isn’t always going to be easy. Sure, some days you will be on a flow. But on the challenging days, it is up to you to decide to find the bright side and how you will react. Besides, what you consider to be a “good” day versus a “bad” day can be influenced by your expectations. - Do a random act of kindness
Do something nice for someone when they are not expecting can do wonders for your mood. You feel like a superhero. Send someone a small gift or a kind message, or do a chore for someone else that they were not expecting you to. Give a gift card to the neighbor. Do something secret and don’t let the recipient know who it came from. You make someone else’s day and in the process, your own too.
If you use this list and check one item each day, you will sure improve your mood, and consequently, have a more positive attitude. It will have a snowball effect. Do it. I’m excited to see where it will get you!
