Look on the bright side.
When I was younger, I was an overwhelmingly negative person. I generally thought the worst would happen, assumed other people would rip me off, and I said "I can’t" more than I’d like to admit. I held a lot of grudges. I was actually pretty mean to a few people. I was bitter when I was wronged. I couldn’t forgive or forget. I was a half-empty kind of person.
My attitude didn’t stop me from making really good friends and having excellent life experiences in college, but I always felt like something was holding me back.
Then one day, it clicked — the only thing holding me back was ME!
I realized that I could CHOOSE to look at life like it was half-full…. or even totally full!
(In London in 2006, right around the time I started to change my thinking.)
I’ve actually transformed myself into a happier, more positive person. Here are my Happy Habits:
- Count your blessings. Even on your worse days, there are things to be thankful for. Got both legs? A family who loves you? A dog that licks your face when you come home? A job? A car? I used to get caught up in what I didn’t have, but now I focus on what I do have.
- Never say "I can’t." You can do anything. Really. But you’re never going to accomplishment a single thing if you think it’s impossible.
- Be quick to forgive and forget… the first time. My issue was that I never cut people slack. I never put myself in their shoes. Being more apt to consider the other person’s perspective has drastically reduced the number of arguments I’ve gotten into (I’m a little hot-headed). That being said, don’t turn into a doormat. Being walked all over is never good for the soul.
- Pretend like every conversation is your last. Per the hot-headedness, sometimes I really want to kill the Husband for little things. Whenever I start to get worked up over something small, I fantasize what I would feel like if it was our last conversation. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Do nice things for other people. And don’t expect anything in return. You’ll get your due karma, I promise.
- Fake it until you make it. Even if you have to "pretend" to be positive, do it. Because eventually, it will become true.
- Ignore Negative Noise and Energy Vampires. Because it isn’t worth your time or energy.
- Re-assess your thinking from time to time. There’s a positive way to approach every situation. Life is hard enough without beating yourself down mentally.
Is there a part of your personality you’ve changed? How did you do it?
Check out the rest of the Things I Need to Do More Often series here!
I really like that one about “think if this was your last conversation.” That is how I live my life..I never want things to end on a sour/bad note, so I always make sure to make things right if I’m having a disagreement with someone I love.
Courtney
Adventures in Tri-ing