Positivity (A full Guide)
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the…
Positive thinking is an optimistic state of mind, where people see the bright side of life.
It means always looking for solutions and expecting good results and success.
Positivity plays an important role in building personality. People with positive mindsets have confidence in every matter of life.
A positive attitude helps you cope more efficiently in every issue of daily life.
Thoughts can change life, so it is necessary always to think positively to achieve certain tasks.
Positive thoughts can actually create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a little smile.
Most valuable words are written in the picture, which describes the significance of positivity.
What is positivity?
Positivity is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life. It is not accepted by everyone, some consider it as nonsense.
But there is a growing number of people who accept positive thinking as a fact and believe in its effectiveness.
You just need to adopt the attitude of positive thinking in everything you do.
Positive thinking does not mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore less pleasant situations in life; it just means that you approach unpleasantness more positively and productively.
Whenever the state of mind changes from negative to positive, goals become interesting, and the seeker puts more effort to achieve it rather than just quitting.
Positive affirmations are positive phrases that can be repeated over and over to teach you how to get rid of negative thoughts and encourage a positive attitude.
Most frequently asked questions are:
a) How can you enter into a positive mindset?
b) How do you train your mind to think positive?
c) How can positive thinking help you?
Answers are straightforward. Author Brian Tracy says “The power of positive thinking is remarkable. The idea that your mind can change your world almost seems too good to be true”.
By leveraging a simple concept, you can train your mind towards positivity.
All you have to do is keep it focused on putting on uplifting thoughts until you form the same types of neural pathways.
Developing a positive attitude can help you in many ways.
You don’t allow your mind to entertain any negative thoughts.
Significance:
“There is nothing on earth that you cannot have, once you have mentally accepted the fact that you can have it”.
By: Robert Collier
It means that once you have decided in your mind to do something, you can do it. Your mind is extraordinarily powerful.
Your thoughts control and determine almost everything that happens to you. Life is battle; everyone has to fight it fearlessly.
Fight with confidence, positive attitude with determination and concentrated efforts lead to the surest path of success. Your biggest assets are your enthusiasm that can enrich your positive thinking.
One who always thinks positively even in worst conditions, one day he will surely get a reward for it. When there is a will, there is a way.
Only requirements are confidence, determination and hard work. If you adopt positivity as a way of life, it will bring constructive changes to your life and make life more happy, bright and successful.
There are many books written on positivity or how can we change our mind from a negative thought to the positive.
Some of them are Power of positive, Positive, Magic of thinking big, As a man thinketh.
Even scientists are studying the behaviour of a positive mindset and are performing various experiments to find out the real power of positive thoughts.
There are specific techniques of positivity; some of them are written below:
1. Start the day with a positive affirmation.
2. Focus on the good things, however small.
3. Find humor in bad situations.
4. Turn failure into lessons.
5. Transform negative self-talk into positive self-talk.
6. Focus on the present.
7. Find positive friends and mentors.
Positive and negative thoughts have effects on the brain.
Negative thoughts:
Researchers have long known that negative emotions program your brain to do a specific action.
For example, when a tiger crosses your path, you run. The rest of the world does not matter. You are entirely focused on the tiger, the fear it creates, and how you can get away from it.
At that same moment, you might have the option of the climb a tree or grab a stick, but your brain ignores all of these options because they seem irrelevant when the tiger is standing in front of you.
So, in this way, negative thoughts can alter your mind.
In other words, negative thoughts narrow your mind, and you can change your plan, or even you can leave the goal.
Positive thoughts:
When you are experiencing positive emotions like joy, contentment and love, you will see more possibilities of life.
These findings were among the first that proves that positive emotions broaden your sense of hope and open your mind up to more options.
For Example, Fredrickson tested the effect of positivity by doing a little experiment. She divided her research subjects into five groups and showed them different film clips.
Two groups were shown clips that are positive emotions and the other two groups were shown clips that are negative emotions.
The last control group and they saw the images and clips which are neither too negative nor too positive (i.e., neutral).
Afterwards, each participant was asked to imagine themselves a situation in which where similar feelings would arise and write down what they do.
A piece of paper with twenty blank lines started with the phrase, “I would like to….” was given to each participant.
Results are different in each case. The participant who saw images or clips of joy wrote down many responses as compared to the participant who saw fear and anger images.
In this way, positivity can change the overall situation.
Benefits of positive thinking are listed as below:
- It leads you to success.
- You can make good decisions
- It keeps stress at bay.
- It boosts your confidence and self-esteem.
- You live a happy and healthy life
Positivity has not only good effects on work performance and goal-setting but is also beneficial for health:
- Increase life span
- Better coping skills during the time of stress
- Lower rate of depression
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
There are two types of people; the first one is the ones who sit back and wait for the opportunities.
The other ones are the ones who move forward, take actions and create their own set of opportunities.
They are not scared of challenges; instead, they are courageous and are always ready to face challenges. People who face challenges, mostly achieve success.
The most important thing is to convert your negative thoughts into positive thoughts. This is the key to the success of achieving any goal. If you can do this, you can do anything.
First of all, we have to identify negative thinking and try to overcome and make positivity in daily life behaviour.
Some common forms of negative thoughts are:
– Filtering
– Personalizng
– Polarizing
To overcome these forms, focus on the positivity like:
– Identify areas to change
– Check yourself
– Be open to humor
– Follow a healthy lifestyle
– Surround yourself with positive people
Following table shows how you should change your mind from negative self-talk to positive self-talk.
| Negative self-talk | Positive self-talk |
| I have never done it before. | It is an opportunity to learn something new. |
| It is too complicated. | I will tackle it from different angles. |
| I do not have resources. | Necessity is the mother of invention. |
| It is too radical a change. | Let’s take a chance. |
| I am not going to get any better at this. | I will give it another try. |
| I am too lazy to get this done. | I can surely do it. |
| There is no way it will work. | I can try to make it work. |
Positivity is not merely being in a good mood or smiling; it has major effects on the personality.
Here are some key components that comprise having a positive attitude.
All components seem to blend together as we move through each day, with a positive mindset.
These components help in building a positive attitude:
1. Willingness to examine our weaknesses and strong parts of us.
2. Always being open to new ideas and thoughts.
3. Possessing the will and courage to address our fears.
4. Believe in yourself that you can impact the world.
5. Believing that life is fun and experienced.
6. Believing that there is goodness and certain values in everyone.
7. A willingness to be yourself.
8. Believing that the love conquers all.
Power of positive thinking
“Most people are about making us happy as they make up their minds to be”.
Recent studies in psychology show that the above quotation is true because the mind can affect the way that we perceive the world.
In the development of large projects, a person is performing some specific tasks which lies under the area of his expertise with positive thinking power can perform better as compared to the person who is performing the same task with same skill set but not enough strong positive thinking power to stuck it till the end.
This helps to understand the true power of positive thoughts.
According to Joyce Brothers “, A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success”.
Hence it is clear from the above statement that the first thing that is mandatory for success is the positive mind.
If there is a positive mind, then the seeker will work hard to achieve this; otherwise he or she gets diverted and will probably quit from his/her duties.
So, the most dominant factor is a positive mindset.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about positivity:
1. What is the power of positivity?
Healthy, happy people think about what they want and how to get it.
You are much more likely to achieve something if you think positively.
2. How do you stay happy and positive?
Here are some habits to help you stay positive:
-Find the optimistic side in a negative situation
-Cultivate and live in a positive environment
-Do not make a mountain out of a molehill
-Do not let vague fears hold you back from doing what you want
-Add value and positivity to someone else’s life
-Exercise regularly, eat healthy, and get plenty of sleep
3. How can I be a positive thinker?
There are many actions you can take to help switch your mindset from negative to positive.
Focus on the good, spend time with positive people, keep a gratitude journal, open yourself up to humor, practice positive self-talk, start every day on a positive note.
Want to learn more about positivity? Try these recommended readings!
As described above, journaling is a great way to give yourself a stress release and to shift to a positive mindset in everyday life.
Whether you are dealing with mental health issues, heartbreak, a problem at work, or any other life stressor, this journal is for you.
This Mindfulness Journal can easily be added into your daily routine and can serve as an outlet for stress-reduction that will help you appreciate every single day and moment.
It includes 365 daily writing prompts divided into 52 weekly mindfulness topics. The prompts are extremely unique, fun, and engaging, so you will never get bored while journaling.
Additionally, each prompt is on its own separate page so you will have more than enough room for reflection and to write down all of your thoughts, big or small.
Although it is suggested to journal once a day, you can spend as much or as little time as you want on each prompt.
Positivity: Discover the Upward Spiral that Will Change Your Life
Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives amazing and useful strategies to help you create a healthier, more vibrant and successful life.
She details how to tap into your own unique sources of positivity.
If you are struggling to achieve a positive mindset and need top-notch tips, this book is for you!
References
The Power of Positive Thinking: How Thoughts Can Change Your Life. Briantracy.com. 2020
How to Stay Positive: 11 Smart Habits. Positivityblog.com. March 19th, 2020.
Benefits of Thinking Positively and How to Do It. Healthline.com. 2020
7 Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset. Success.com. June 28th, 2019.
