How can I be more positive?
It is possible to generate positive thinking in yourself, others or a team or organisation. If you are positive yourself you will have a positive effect on those around you and their friends and their friends friends. There are many ways of improving positivity.
You have probably heard of the saying ‘Glass half empty or half full’ The same glass of water can be looked at from two different perspectives. No matter who you are you will not be able to maintain the ‘glass half full’ attitude all the time. I recently read about a lovely perspective on this. Perhaps you are finding that your mindset has changed to seeing the glass half empty, the next question to ask is – where’s your jug? You can have a jug full of actions that can help you to top up your glass so you see it as a glass half full again. Everyone needs resilience. Resilience comes from having the resources to cope with adversity and difficulties. You need strategies to help you and others cultivate a positive mindset whatever your circumstances. That is not a blind denial of the facts but an ability to see some positives amongst the pain, disappointment and difficulty.
If you are in difficult circumstances you can do these things to help yourself or others:
- Look for things to be thankful for
- Seek out pleasurable activities, even just for a few minutes
- Spend time in meditation
Perhaps you feel stuck in a negative mindset. If you are concerned you may have depression or other mental health issues you should seek medical help. If you have simply got stuck in the grove of negativity you can work hard to change.
- Looking at happy things – pictures of joyful circumstances, happiness, things that make you feel happy, smiling faces can make you feel happier
- Yes, force yourself to smile for a minute and you will find you feel happier. There is some truth in the saying ‘Fake it until you make it.’ If you smile at others you will find they smile at you
- Choose to be optimistic, optimists find opportunities
- Refuse to worry about the things that you cannot control
- Avoid engaging in negative, complaining conversations
- Volunteering can be a great mood booster
- Offer to help others
- A mentor may help you overcome negativity at work
- Think about what you could do differently? – talk to someone about it and take action
- Seek out positive people
Fill your jug with some of these positive activities and you will be able to see the glass half full again and be that positive influence on those around you.
In teams and organisations a number of activities have been shown to promote positive attitudes.
- Having a positive environment to work in, with minimal distractions
- Having a meaning and purpose – mission and vision statements
- Remove things causing dissatisfaction and add in things to motivate
- Share testimonials to remind of positive outcomes
- Challenge negative behaviour and thinking
Four things have been shown to be particularly powerful at improving positivity.
- Meditation
- Positive writing – writing positive articles for 3 days in a row still showed benefits 3 months later.
- Time for activities that give you joy.
- Thankfulness
This is a huge subject, there is a lot more that could be said about positivity. There are apps for looking at smiling faces to increase joy and other apps we could have considered. Maybe it is a subject you could look into more and strive to boost positivity in your context.