How To Enable A Positive Attitude In Life

It’s hard to hide from a smiling face. Especially when the eyes on that smiling face find yours.

Aren’t we highly attracted to a smile?

I’ll bet if you were asked to walk through a warehouse of people, you would naturally find the smiling faces over the ones without expression.

Are you smiling now?

And when was the last time you had a good laugh?

Here’s an interesting little task:  Take out a piece of paper and write down five things that get you smiling.  I wonder how many of you will get five.

If you did, how many of them are manufactured smiles?  Triggered by a You Tube video or a comedy sketch. To me, those smiles aren’t worth as much.  While I’ll never turn down a good smile or laugh, I prefer the ones that occur naturally.  As a result of things being more right than not in your life.

So how would you like to start smiling without being provoked?

How?  By enabling a positive attitude in life.  By making changes is your life’s focus, habits and environment.

So here a few ways to get you started:

1.  Stay busy

Some psychologists believe that keeping the mind busy is the best way to stay positive.  Read this from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (source):

“With nothing to do, the mind is unable to prevent negative thoughts from elbowing their way to center stage . . . worries about one’s love life, health, investments, family, and job are always hovering at the periphery of attention, waiting until there is nothing pressing that demands concentration.“

So if you are not proactively staying busy, your mind wants to head south.  And your attitude goes with it.  While we all need down time, make sure to fill that down time with positive activities.

2.  Be around positive people

OK, here’s another list.  Write down five names.  The people who make up the bulk of your social life.  Whether during the work week or on the weekends. Give each of them a score from 1-10 (1 = very negative, 10 = very positive).  Then add up the scores and divide by five.

Is this a silly exercise?  Can you really score your friends on their positive attitude?  Sure you can.  Think about your last few conversations. Are these people strikingly positive or not so much?

3. Do something that matters to you

Acting with a sense of purpose in life provides a constant and supportive background.  Like a constant green screen behind you.  Projecting and reinforcing the things that matter.  But if your purpose is resting comfortably in a bottom drawer somewhere, you will see the opposite effect.

Not acting on your ideas.  Not pursuing a passion.  Both will leave you frustrated and repressed.

Not sure what matters to you?  Pick three things that might matter and take a few simple steps toward them.  Pay attention to the way you feel when working on each.  Do it long enough and you’ll know.

4. Open up in social media

Are you scared to really share anything of interest with the social media world?  Do you step into the online water as if it were burning hot, liquid magma?  You may not share a photo on LinkedIn or Twitter.  And are not really engaging anyone in discussions.  Not really.

So it is time to break out.  To be yourself.  And to enjoy the social soup.  If you do, you’ll feel more connected to the world around you. And make way for your more positive attitude.

5. Do what you love as often as you can

We all have natural talents.  Things we are built to do.  And then we add on additional skills as necessary to complete our total package for an employer or client.

We are happy at work and most positive in life when we spend the bulk of our day creating value.  And it almost feels effortless.  Because we love doing it.

6. Let go and do a few uncomfortable things

Afraid to do something in life?  Take a small risk and jump into something new.  There is a natural energy that comes with putting yourself in a new environment.  If you regulate your life too much by limiting its scope, you will miss out on chances to grow.  To change.  And become.

Want more about creating a positive attitude?  Read my first career and life newsletter (article re: happiness).

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