Think positive
The life we live is largely a reflection of our attitudes. And we can change our attitudes by learning a set of skills that help us change the way we talk to ourselves when faced with a setback, misfortune, failure, or any type of adversity. Optimists savor the good things and revel in good times. The following list offers powerful tools that guarantee positive outcomes.
1. Dispute your thoughts.
Launch an attack and argue with your pessimistic thoughts. Change the negative self-talk about your control of the events in your life to a positive attitude.
2. Teach yourself a lesson.
Find something positive in a bad situation. Say you are laid off from a job. Figure out what you have lost and then figure out what you have to gain from the experience. Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper; write losses in one column and gains in the other. Then focus on the gains and on what the experience is trying to teach you.
3. Set realistic goals.
If it's too much to do all at once, do one task per week. Have some fun, take a break and go to a play or movie. Act the way you want to be, and don't spend time around negative people.
4. Think positively.
Focus your mind. Start the day on the lookout for only positive things. In a journal write at least one positive thing that happens every day.
5. Visualize success.
We can change our outlook by playing a movie in our head in which we see ourselves successfully having completed our goals. Real optimists picture themselves accomplishing their goals. They practice visualizing success. They can see the positive results in their mind's eye, and this picture propels them to accomplish what they want.
6. Practice an attitude of gratitude.
Take time to write down all the things you are grateful for. Tell people how grateful you are for such and such. Thank people more and more.
7. Accentuate the positive.
Ask yourself if you are exaggerating a bad situation and blaming yourself. Analyze the situation - what can you do differently? How will a positive attitude help change the situation? Are you over-generalizing? Words like "all-or-nothing" are tips that you are thinking negatively.
More tips on how to develop a positive mental attitude
• Get a change of scenery.
• Do something challenging and fun.
• Do something completely different.
• Break out of your normal routine.
• Create an adventure for yourself and good friends.
• Do something for someone less fortunate than you are.
• Focus on the possibilities.
• Find opportunities in adversity to break free from your old ways of doing things.
• Keep focused on your goals-focused activity reduces procrastination, fear, and anxiety.
• Work on things you enjoy doing.
• Spend time with people who are fun to be around.
• Learn to tell a good joke.
• Laugh out loud when people tell you a joke. Laughter is contagious.
• Work on improving what you do best.
• Don't assume your health will fail.
• Learn to be satisfied with what you have.
Now, with a greater awareness of optimism and pessimism, think about your reactions to the information presented and what you might want to change to bring a greater quality of optimism into your life on a daily basis. We invite you to think about the facts concerning how, when, and why to choose a positive mental attitude in everything you do.
Read about 14 secrets to a well-lived life.
Excerpted from Mental Fitness for Life: 7 Steps to Healthy Aging by Sandra Cusack and Wendy Thompson. Copyright 2003 by Sandra A. Cusack and Wendy J.A. Thompson. Excerpted with permission by Key Porter Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
