By Gary Gzik

Implementing a positive attitude into your life can have an enormous impact in many areas, and although many of us would love to achieve this desire, we often find it much easier to slip back into bad behaviors and patterns that are negative. It takes a firm commitment towards being positive and finally giving into the idea that it will take time to change old behaviors. And, although there may be times when you can't be positive or you let your attitude slip, the key is not giving up and making a correction to your attitude as soon as you notice.

Implementing a positive attitude may prove challenging, but it doesn't have to be the end of your attempts. Instead of walking away, try some of the following tips and watch as you find it easier to maintain that positive attitude.

TIP 1:

Surround Yourself with Positive Influences

You and I both know that being around someone who has a really negative attitude, without a doubt, will have you showing a negative attitude in a matter of minutes. It doesn't take much influence from another before you will notice that your whole day has been brought down to an unattractive level. Negativity breeds negativity and it fosters discontent. If a positive attitude is what you are seeking, it's important to step back and take a good look at your relationships.

If you want to maintain a positive attitude, you need to surround yourself with positive influences. This statement may sound easy, but the reality is, it also means you need to start spending less time with those who are consistently negative. At first it may be difficult, but lessening your opportunities of being around negative people will prove rewarding in no time, as you start to notice a much happier and lighter you. If avoiding all the negative people in your life isn't easy, then you simply have the option of approaching them about their impact. But, if they aren't ready to change and commit to having a positive attitude, you may need to reduce the amount of time you are spending with them.

TIP 2:

Smile More

It sounds too easy to be true, but that doesn't mean you should disregard it. Smiling more is one of the main secrets to maintaining a positive attitude. What you may not have known, is that smiling releases endorphins which allow you to have a boost in your mood. If you want to maintain a positive attitude, than you should make a commitment to smile at least ten times a day, then increase this number week by week. Make it a game - challenge yourself to see how many other people you can get to smile - whether you know them or not. As you do this, you will notice how much easier it is and how much fun it can be to bring a little joy, not only to your life, but to someone else's life.

TIP 3:

Let it Go

I will be honest with you, this may be the hardest one for you to do. To maintain a positive attitude you need to let go of hurtful things or rude behaviors that have been aimed relentlessly at you. Most of us know that when people hurt us we can become angry and resentful. But, it's time to change "what most of us do". Instead of letting those old negative behaviors back in to fuel our negativity, we need to let the hurt go. Next time, try not to take things personally, even when they hurt. Remember, negative comments, remarks and attitudes belong to the person who said them - not you. By letting things go, you can stay positive.

TIP 4:

Keep Practicing

They say practice makes perfect and that is particularly true when it comes to maintaining a positive attitude. It's simply a matter of creating a new habit, a new pattern that is positive and then practicing it every day. Before long, being positive will become second nature. While we can't be positive all the time, we can make a commitment to be positive most of the time.

Overall, these tips are there to help you, but you need to make a decision that you want to be more positive. If you believe, want and focus on being a more positive you, you will quickly notice how much easier and naturally the previous tips will come naturally to you. So, what are you waiting for - easy tips, easy positive attitude for you!

By Sunny James

Positive Attitude Tips:

This is what I have put in this article to help you boost your attitude with positive thinking and help you get a better life.

- Will having a positive attitude make a difference in my life?
- How will I know if my attitude is positive?
- How can I start to get a positive attitude in my life?

The news papers and television are constantly showing negative stories that happen every day. You could actually just change the names to the crimes every day and you would have the same stories just different names. All this negativity has a bad effect on our everyday lives. It causes us to be negative about life and the things that we do. There by ending up being a product of what we take in.

If you are someone who is having a hard time being more positive. Then read on and start to apply the tips on being more positive each and every day. You will then see a change in your attitude toward the positive.

If you are unhappy with your life. Read This Article on Positive Attitude Tips. They have help lots of people and they can also help you to become a better person by having a better attitude.

Will having a positive attitude make a difference in my life? Yes having a positive attitude in your life will make a big difference in a positive way. You will look forward to doing your responsibilities and every thing you do in life.

How will I know if my attitude is positive? You will know if your attitude is positive by getting in the habit of monitoring your thoughts and become aware of your attitude. If you are being down and always saying negative things, then you are probably having a negative attitude. You then want to make a choice to change your mental mind set to a positive one.

How can I start to get a positive attitude in my life? You can start to get a good attitude in your every day life by first making a conscious decision to choose to have a positive attitude and an open mind. The best way you can do that is by focusing on the good things that you want in life. You also want to monitor who you spend time with and stay away from those types of people that tend to be negative all the time.

I put together articles like this because people just like you have asked me to. That way I can help them with learning how to best fine tune their mental mind set. So they can get the happiness and success they deserve in life.

If you are still finding it hard to keep a attitude that is positive let me know what your struggles are so I can help you.

By Sunny James

Positive Attitude tips:

I wrote this article for those of you wanting a positive change in your life. Because you are a superstar who deserves to shine bright.

Here is what I will covered in this article.

How to recognize when you have a bad attitude and how to change it to a positive attitude.

Why a positive attitude is important for your happiness & success.

How to make it a daily habit for you to keep a positive attitude.

People some times do not realize the importance of a having positive attitude.

The problem is that most people get so absorbed in everyday life that they lose sight of what they really want for themselves. They start to get all caught up in the hum drum of the negativity that goes on in our society. They are so miserable but yet they can not pin point what is going on or how to change it.

If you find yourself to be one of these people then read on and start to apply the simple tips. If you do then you will really be amazed at the quick results that you will see and all just by changing your attitude.

Here are 3 Tips to Easily Get a Positive Attitude:

1. You need to get in touch with your attitude on a regular basis. This way you can easily see when you are getting off track by having a negative attitude. Once you see this happening then you need to first make a choice not to allow yourself to continue on this path. If you do you will get more of what you already do not want. Some things that can really help you to do this is first focus on what you want. Hang out with some one you enjoy being with that is positive and up beat. Read or listen to positive learning material everyday.

2. You need to understand the importance of having a positive attitude. It may seem like such a small thing but that one small thing has everything to do with your happiness & success. This is one of the key habits that highly successful people practice every day. So if you are wanting to have more happiness and success in your life just try it. You can do this by starting to monitoring your attitude and make sure you are keeping it a good one. I know you are going to like it once you start to experience that positive energy working for you it will inspire you to continue this habit for yourself.

3. It is a choice to have a good attitude or a bad attitude. So choose a good attitude. You can do this by focusing on what you want in life. Read and listen to positive attitude books and audios. Attend seminars and work shops It is that simple.

I put together articles like this because people just like you have asked me to. That way I can help them with learning how to best fine tune their mental mind set. So they can get the happiness and success they deserve in life.

If you are still finding it hard to adjust to a positive attitude let me know what your struggles are so I can help you.

By Harleen K

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty-Winston Churchill

We have heard many times that positive thinking is a key to health, success and happiness. But seldom do we realize or practice it into our own lives. Positive attitude and optimism can bring in a lot of benefits in our life. A person with a positive attitude lives a healthier, happier and a long life.
Positive thinking is known to provide a direction to our life and its benefits in our day-to-day life. It is one of the most effective strategies for stress management and improves our overall wellbeing.

Now let us know what an attitude really is. An attitude is a state of mind, or a way of thinking which we believe is right. A positive attitude, therefore, can be inculcated into our lives if we earnestly make sincere efforts to do so.

Researchers have always stressed upon the beneficial effects of positive thinking and optimism on our health. An optimistic attitude towards life is instrumental in decreasing negative stress and prepares us better to face the hardships of life.

Positive thoughts help to motivate healthy behaviors including good diet and staying physically active. Remember, when our thoughts are in our control, they can be very powerful. We can reach and maintain good health and fitness with the right attitude.

Studies prove the fact that people with positive outlook towards life are more successful in their efforts to lose weight or follow a fitness exercise regime than people with dwindling mind-set or those who are under confident ones. Self-confidence is the key to successful behavior change.

Psychology finds a strong and a direct relationship between positive attitude and good health. Studies reveal the fact that an optimistic attitude early in life ensures good health and well being in later life.

Christopher Petersen, PhD, in his book, A Primer in Positive Psychology, writes about the benefits of positive attitude in our life. He finds that 'optimism has demonstrable benefits, and pessimism has drawbacks.' He goes on to add further, '..optimism...has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to perseverance and effective problem solving; to academic, athletic, military, occupational, and political success; to popularity; to good health; and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

Your attitude is a matter of your choice. You can choose to have a positive outlook towards life. Once you have made up your mind to think positive, you will start feeling better about yourself and see good results coming your way. So, it is never too late to change your outlook towards life to reap the benefits of a positive attitude.

Living in a highly-competitive world, we might, at some point of time, feel stifled by the stress and strains of life. Here in comes the role of positive thinking to provide a whiff of optimism and help us discover a new meaning in our life. Positive thinking acts as a stimulus to boost our energy levels and recharge us for living life with a positive outlook.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life- says Aristotle.
Life is what we think it should be, or in other words, it is our attitude which colors our thoughts and influences our outlook towards life. Although easier said than done, it becomes all the more important to start taking small but affirmative steps for directing our thought process with a positive attitude towards life. Remember, we become what we think. So, we need to direct our energy towards replacing our negative thoughts with positive thoughts to make life worth living.

While trying to inculcate positive attitude in our lives, we might, at some point of time, get influenced by our own negative thoughts, mood swings, other people moods or other related inconveniences which could result in all our efforts towards positive attitude fall flat. Do not let that happen any more. Inspiration has to come from the mind itself. Bear in mind that every cloud has a silver lining. So, make sincere efforts to maintain your positive attitude to make the most out of life.

The last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way-Viktor Frankl

Start making a commitment to create more productivity in your life. This can be done if you plan your work and work your plan. You need to write down what you want to accomplish and the efforts you will make to get it done.

Know what you want in your life, that is, your aims and goals. Make a list of the things that make you happy, the accomplishments which give you satisfaction. Once you know these things, you have probably found an answer to happiness and success in your life.

A good role model can be of great help in acquiring positive attitude in our lives. You can learn from a successful family member, a colleague or a friend by following in their footsteps.

We need the magic wand of positive attitude and hopeful state of mind to experience a happier life.

By Matthew Shofoluwe

Attitude is, all too often, evident around us. The supremely confident athlete who presents as if failure is not possible, displays an attitude. The team that shows up and takes control of a game, have an attitude towards the game. The officer who appears to have all the answers, has attitude. Perhaps, what all these people have in common is a thorough knowledge of what it is they are engaged in, or the commitment towards it.

Attitude shows itself in all we do. A person who is madly in love can hardly hide it. The love might be towards a job, car, home or another person. The person who is driven by ambition also has an attitude towards the goal of the ambition. One who is engaged in a task, and thinks the task can be done, might have positive attitude towards the task.
If, for any reason, the person feels it cannot be done, the negative attitude towards the task would see to it that the task becomes impossible.

Why does anybody need positive mental attitude? It is a catalyst, of success. Even where success is possible, positive attitude speeds things up. Considerably.

Positive attitude tips may only be reminders of what we already know, but that in itself is not a bad thing.

How is one to develop positive attitude, if it is lacking?

It starts with self examination. If your ambition is to become, say a healthier person, do you really think it is possible? If yes, what can you positively do about your goal, even today?

Next is the Preparations. The mind is the workshop where we fashion our desires. If you choose to see the positive side of issues, your focus will be on those positives.
With a negative attitude, one is likely to keep seeing problems. The person with a positive mental attitude, in a similar situation, sees challenges.

Exact Plans are necessary in order to develop and maintain a positive mental attitude. Preferably in writing. Perhaps as affirmations. Where plans are lacking, confusion is likely to result.

Positive mental attitude calls for commitment. Mental commitment as well as physical commitment. The person who has a goal, focusses on the goal, works tirelessly towards achieving the goal, reaches a point where the feeling of success is real.

Many a noble objective are derailed by inconsistency! It is very easy to slip back into old patterns of thinking and of seeing things. This is where a written plan, repeated and affirmed comes handy. Positive attitude has to be a habit.

It is said that when our attitude towards a thing change, the thing changes. This has to be practised to be experienced. If a person thinks and feels that something can be done, it will be done.

These positive attitude tips by no means exhausts all there is to know. Practice what you know. Hold yourself to account but also remember to reward yourself for the changes in attitude that you are seeing.

These manner of thought and feeling applies in every area of live. Little wonder it is suggested that attitude is everything.

By Gary M. Miller

You have probably heard over and over again that you should have a positive attitude, or that you should think positive thoughts. What you may not have heard about is how you can benefit from a positive attitude or positive thoughts. In fact, there are many benefits to a positive attitude that you may not have ever heard about.

A positive attitude makes you feel better in general. If you decide that you will face your day with a positive attitude, you feel better - both mentally and physically. You will also find that you work more efficiently because when you have a positive attitude, your thinking becomes clearer.

A positive attitude reduces and prevents stress as well. When you are faced with problems, you would not feel as stressed as you would if you had a negative attitude. The positive attitude allows you to look at the situation in a different light, and finding solutions becomes easier.

A positive attitude is contagious. When you are positive in your thoughts, words, and actions, those around you are greatly affected. It may take a little longer to affect some, but with enough exposure to your positive attitude, everyone around you will benefit. Alternately, you are affected by the positive attitudes of those around you.

A positive attitude allows you to sleep better. The positive attitude you have allows you to stop worrying about problems and go to sleep. When you get the proper amount of sound sleep, you are able to continue to be positive the following day, and deal with the problems you had yesterday in a positive way.

A positive attitude allows you to have more productive interaction with others - improving your relationships. You will find that you are better able to focus on the positive aspects of a relationship, as opposed to the negative aspects. The negative aspects of the relationship may even improve greatly - simply because you have a positive attitude.

You entire life is affected in one way or another by your attitude. Your work, learning, personal and business relationships, your health, your self-image, and your confidence all improve and benefit simply by adopting a positive attitude, thinking positive thoughts, and reacting to situations in a positive way.

By Gary M. Miller

Have you ever noticed that when you are around someone who is happy and bubbly, you become happy and bubbly yourself? It is true. This happens because a positive attitude is as contagious as laughter. If someone starts laughing uncontrollably, before you know it, everyone else in the room is laughing -even if they are just laughing at the person who was laughing in the first place. Positive attitudes work just like that.

The contagious positive attitude works in two different ways. First, when you surround yourself with positive people, you eventually have a positive attitude and outlook as well. Second, when you have a positive attitude around negative people, the chances are very good that it will rub off, and their attitude will become positive.

Positive attitudes are contagious to situations as well. If you arrive at a job you hate with a positive attitude, the job does not seem quite so bad. You still may not like it -but somehow your positive attitude made it improve a little. A positive attitude allows you to see things in a different light, and if you try, you can almost find something good in every situation -no matter how bad the situation may seem.

Your positive attitude is even contagious to you! For instance, if you have just effectively solved a problem -with a positive attitude -that attitude will more than likely carry over to the next problem. This makes the problem much easier to deal with. The longer you can maintain that positive attitude, the more powerful it becomes -affecting you and everyone around you. A positive attitude is one contagious thing that you never want to lose, but you always want to spread.

Be careful though. Just as a positive attitude is contagious, a negative attitude is even worse! When you are around people with negative attitudes, you often have to work to make sure that their negatives do not affect your positive. Instead, you must concentrate on passing your positive attitude on to them. Since you can not control other people, this may not always work. Therefore, if you feel like someone's negative attitude is having a negative affect on you, run -do not walk -to the nearest exit!

By Sunny James

Positive Attitude Tips:

Here is what this article that I wrote for you contains.

- It is too late to learn and apply positive attitude tips?
- Will I really see results from positive attitude tips?
- Who should use positive attitude tips?
- How fast can I see result with positive attitude tips?

Picture this a room full of people on one side of the room are people that are positive and upbeat really laughing and enjoying life. On the other side of the room are people that are negative and really unhappy people complaining about everything in life.

Let me ask you what side of the room would you fit into with your current attitude?

Which side of the room would you want to be on everyday?

If you are someone that had to say they would fit into the negative side of the room with their current attitude. Yet you would rather be on the positive side of the room everyday. Then read the positive tips that I wrote just for you. Then learn them and start applying them in your life everyday.

Here are 4 steps to win with a positive attitude.

1. It is too late to learn and apply positive attitude tips? No it is not too late to learn and apply tips that help you keep your attitude positive. As a matter of fact the sooner you learn to control your attitude and keep it a positive one you will benefit from it in all areas of your life.

2. Will I really see results from positive attitude tips? Yes you will really see fast results and you will soon see that you are getting more done and looking forward to every aspect of life. This is one of the easiest things to do for yourself it really only takes time to check in with yourself and see where you attitude is and if it is negative. Then just make a positive decision to make your attitude be positive. Once you do that just keep monitoring it to help yourself keep it there

3. Who should use positive attitude tips? Everyone should use these attitude tips to make their life of better quality and enjoyment. If you really want to live a fun and happy life full of love and laughter then choose to keep your attitude positive and that is what you will experience.

4. How fast can I see result with positive attitude tips? You can see immediate result from applying positive attitude tips. If you just allow them to work for you. That is just a matter of keeping an open mind and choose the outcome of your day by thinking positively about everything you do. If you make this a regular habit to be around positive people in positive environment. Also you want to allow yourself to stay focused and tuned into the positive things in life that you do want in life. You can start reading and listening to positive upbeat learning material about attitudes and how they effect you. Find a mentor that can help coach you if you feel that is what you may need initially to get your mind set more positive and upbeat. If you do these few things for yourself. Then you will definitely start enjoying yourself starting right now today.

I put together articles like this because people just like you have asked me to. That way I can help you with learning how to best fine tune your mental mind set. So you can get the happiness and success you deserve in life.

By Beverly OMalley

Of all the positive attitude tips offered on the many self help resources available the best is to change the way you think. And if it was really that simple then this article would end here.

However, knowing what to do is different from figuring out how to do it. You cannot change the way you are thinking if you are not aware of how you are thinking, so any list of positive attitude tips must include suggestions for self analysis and emotional reflection.

Starting at the beginning it becomes self evident that positive attitude tips can only be offered if we first understand what the word attitude really means.

In everyday common language the word attitude has many meanings, but it is mostly used to refer to a cognitive construct or in simpler terms a "pattern of thinking". Since we cannot see the way a person is thinking, attitude is usually inferred from behaviour. When a person's cognitive construct or way of thinking is positive their behaviour will be interpreted as a "positive attitude".

A positive attitude allows a person to create the life they want because they are not afraid to see things as they really are and work to create their own reality. A positive attitude really reflects a lack of fear in moving forward and creating change.

There are many benefits of a positive attitude including:

* better health
* improved relationships with others both at home and at work
* more opportunities for success
* improved productivity

Let's face it, if there were any benefits to be achieved from maintaining a negative attitude, the literature would be full of negative attitude tips. Instead we find that negative thinking is associated with morbidity and emotional dysfunction. Nobody wants to have a negative attitude yet many people are locked into negative patterns of thinking. They cannot change this pattern because they are not aware of its existence.

So how do you change to a positive attitude?

Developing a positive attitude requires that you become aware of cognitive distortions that are keeping you in a pattern of thinking which forms a barrier to creating the life you really want.

What is a cognitive distortion? It is simply an error in interpretation of our own lived experiences.

It is true that you get your attitude from your parents. But it is only partially true. What happens to you in life is only part of the equation for developing a positive attitude (or cognitive distortions).

Of even greater significance in the development of overall attitude is not what happens but how you interpret what happens. That is the part that you can change and take control of, and that is what must change if you are to get rid of the cognitive distortions that create a negative attitude. Cognitive distortions are nothing more that errors in interpretation and those errors can be changed if identified, examined, and re-interpreted in a positive way.

Think of it this way:

Developing a positive attitude means interpreting life's events in a way that is truthful, honest, and self affirming.

Keeping a positive attitude means continuing with these positive and self affirming interpretations of life's events, even negative events.

The cognitive construct behind a positive attitude would go something like this:

* "Even though this bad thing happened, I am still a good person."
* "I am going to take this opportunity to learn as much about why this happened as I can because I do not want it to happen to me again."
* "I think that perhaps I need some help with this because I do not seem to be able to help myself in a way that is helping to resolve this problem."

The cognitive distortions which would be behind a negative attitude would go something like this:

* " I screwed up again."
* "I am not smart enough to try that."
* "It is not really what I want but it is good enough for me."
* "If I ask for help people will think I am stupid and know that I cannot even run my own life"

It is possible to change your attitude! But it does require identification and critical analysis of your own beliefs about yourself and the life you think you deserve.

Here are 5 positive attitude tips to help you change the way you think:

1. Believe that you are in charge -- your life doesn't just happen to you accidentally. You create it. If you do not accept this fundamental belief no amount of positive attitude tips will help you to manifest the life you want. This does not require bull headed and single minded purpose, but rather a quiet self affirming belief that you do have the power to make a difference in your own life and that everything you do and think and say has created the circumstances you are now experiencing.
2. Live with intent and purpose -- know what it is you want from life and continue to put yourself in charge of obtaining it. When you live reactively you respond to things that are happening to you. Proactive living is when you live with intent, set your own goals, and create a plan to achieve them.
3. Live with emotional inquiry and clarity -- keep examining your emotional reactions to life's events. Ask yourself " What am I feeling right now? When was the first time I felt like this and why am I interpreting this circumstance in the same way." This should help you to uncover those cognitive distortions that prevent you from developing a positive attitude.
4. Practise being grateful -- no matter how unlucky or dreadful you think your life is, practice being grateful for one small thing every day. Thinking about one positive thing every day that you can be grateful for will change the cognitive distortions you have been carrying around.
5. Help and serve others -- find things to do that help other people. You will be amazed at how much better you feel about yourself and how this can change many of those cognitive distortions that may be contributing to your negative attitude.

These are the 5 positive attitude tips that will contribute to a change in the way you think. Once you change the way you think you have the freedom to think more clearly and the wisdom to make choices that will move you forward to the life you want.

By Judy Braley

A positive attitude is a disciplined decision of the mind to maintain a consistently confident expectation of good results. John Terhune

I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances. Martha Washington

All you need is positivity. The Spice Girls

I'm sure there are people out there who have naturally positive attitudes. People who were blessed to be born with sunny dispositions that weren't destroyed or distorted by the negativity of others (parents, teachers, siblings or friends) as they grew up.

There must be people out there like this - but I am not one of them. I've suffered from complaining and negative emotions in the past, however, I have learned how to create a positive attitude in my life. For those of you who, like me, were not blessed with a positive attitude as our constant state of being, here are suggestions of how to develop and maintain one.

1. Take responsibility

Know that you are the only person who can create and control your attitude. When the coffee spills on your new white shirt, when your spouse/significant other acts like a ____(fill in the blank), when you don't get the job you were dying for - these are all times when you have a choice of how to respond. Outside events can't create your attitude. You create your attitude in response to how you think about the event. It's all up to you. The outside world will always throw challenges in your path. You have to decide how you are going to respond to those challenges, and you can pick whether to respond negatively or positively. No one else can choose for you.

2. Foster a great attitude

The best way to do this is to feel good about yourself! How can you possibly project a positive attitude if inside you are beating yourself up? You have to develop a positive confident view of yourself in order to project this to the world. If you lack in confidence or you put yourself down, try one of the following exercises:

* Every day catch yourself doing something well and praise yourself for it!

* At the end of the day, instead of listing for yourself all the things you didn't accomplish, think of all the things you did accomplish and praise yourself for that.

* This came from an article in Positive Thinking magazine - if you find you put yourself down, become aware of it by putting a loose rubber band around your wrist and every time you notice negative thoughts about yourself, snap the rubber band on your wrist and change the thought to something positive. You will get tired of the stinging snap of the rubber band and should find yourself thinking more positively about yourself because it will become a habit.

* If your lack of confidence comes from childhood abuse, get help at releasing that toxic negative residue. Know that just because some adult told you you were bad or you couldn't do anything right, it doesn't mean it's true. Get help from a therapist, books, or seminars to clear out this old lie.

3. Work at it

Maintaining a positive attitude in the face of all of the daily challenges in life can be daunting, but you can do it. It's a personal choice to believe the best about any situation. Start to become aware of what you are thinking and saying.

The other day I heard a friend complain that she could only catch her negative thinking about half the time before she reacted and got angry or started crying. And my response was that half the time is pretty darn good. That's a long way from where she started when she was completely unaware of how her negative thoughts controlled and created her life.

We are all works in progress! Work at it - gently correct yourself when you've gone the wrong way and praise yourself when you get it right! Teaching yourself to have a positive attitude takes gentle but consistent work, just like training a puppy.

4. Find other people who have positive, energy-filled attitudes and develop relationships with them

When you are working on a positive attitude, you have to choose your friendships wisely. If you have someone in your life who radiates positive energy, try to spend more time with that person. If you don't have anyone like that, try to find someone and develop a friendship.

It's a law of the universe - positive people will energize you, and negative people will deplete you unless you have developed such a strong positive attitude that you can protect yourself mentally against their negativity.

5. Find your purpose and dare to dream

How can you create a positive attitude if you don't look forward to anything? Maybe some people can, but I can't. I have written before about finding your purpose and passion in life in my article Top 10 Ways to Create an Unlimited Life (Numbers 8 & 9). Here I'm going to talk about your dreams.

Do you still have dreams or have they been squashed out of you as you've gotten older? Dare to dream again! You can do much more in your life than limited thinking will lead you to believe. To create and maintain a positive attitude for yourself, you have to develop a mindset that tomorrow can be more fulfilling than today. Your dreams are your vision of success. And if it's strong enough, it is that vision that will sustain you when you face the inevitable set backs and challenges in life that everyone faces.

Dare to dream of what you want in life and commit to taking a step toward that vision every day and you will go a long way toward your goal of having a positive attitude.

6. Protect your ears and eyes

The great majority of the population of this world does not live life from the space of a positive attitude. In fact, I believe the majority of the population of this world lives from a place of pain, and that people who live from pain only know how to spread more negativity and pain. For me, this explains many of the atrocities of our world and the reason why we are bombarded with negativity all the time.

To create and maintain a positive attitude, you have to protect yourself from this negativity and pain. Be careful what you read, watch, and listen to. So much of what's produced in the media is packed with negativity. When you are working hard at creating your positive attitude, don't watch the news or any tv shows that have to do with violent crime. If something really important happens in the world, you'll hear about it anyway. If part of your purpose is to help other people who are suffering, then learn what you need to know, but don't expose yourself to unnecessary negative information. For example, unless you have a loved one on the plane, if you are in the US do you really need to know about a small jet that crashed in Russia? That's negative news that can cause you emotional sadness, but that you can't do anything about.

As far as tv shows are concerned, I have to admit to being addicted to watching CSI for while - until I really thought about how I was polluting my own mental and emotional state by being exposed to excessively violent acts, even if they were fictitious!

7. Read and listen to positive, inspiring material

Why read or listen to something negative when you can replace it with something positive that will inspire or motivate you to create more happiness, peace or success in your life? There is so much motivational material out there these days. Go to the bookstore or check out all the motivational cds available from Nightingale-Conant. When you immerse yourself in positive, motivating material, you can't help but absorb some of it.

8. Celebrate yourself and all the positive you can find in your life

Okay, maybe this is a repeat of Number 2 above, but it's a concept that merits repeating. Celebrate who you are, the positive things you contribute to the world, and the positive things that are happening in your life. It doesn't matter how small they are!

What you focus on expands. If you focus on the negative, you will experience more negative. If you celebrate the positive, you will notice more of it showing up in your life. Realize that you have a very limited vision of this world, and that something you perceive as negative might really be a positive - you can never really know ahead of time. Mentally celebrate everything that you possibly can.

Conclusion

These are suggestions for developing a positive attitude from someone who has definitely had to work on it every day. When I wake up, I imagine a positive day ahead of me. When I'm faced with violence or bad news on the tv or radio, I turn it off. I listen to motivational cds in the car while I'm driving. And before I fall asleep, I think of the things in my life that I'm grateful for. I'm not always positive and radiant and joyful, but I am most of the time, and each day I progress further. And I can guarantee you life is much more fulfilling with a positive attitude.

Somebody I know who is very wise once said: "Lot's of people will tell you this positive attitude thing is a bunch of garbage. Well, that may be, but I'd rather believe in a positive bunch of garbage than in their negative bunch of garbage."

Me too. How about you?