7 Steps to Staying Positive Today and Everyday

Have you  noticed how difficult it is to stay positive all the time? I mean REALLY!  And if you did stay positive, do you worry what others might think?  After all, the world is suffering. With all the negative energy flowing these days, it’s certainly not easy to stay positive and motivated. People are loosing their jobs, their businesses, their homes, their good credit and sometimes even the ones they love.

Maybe you are one of those people who have had a run of bad luck or perhaps you’ve just hit a road block. Or worse, everyone around you is singly the blues. It’s all you can do to stay positive even though you and your circle consider you a positive person.  I know, this has happened to me. Although I  don’t get into a FUNK or have a NEGATIVE DAY often, when I do get into one of those energy zones, the best I can do is stay away from others so as not to affect them too. You see, I don’t like myself when I am feeling this way and I am sure others don’t much like being around me either. In fact, when I had my retail florists, my staff told me they could always tell what kind of mood I was in when I walked through the door by how I walked in and what I said as I did so.  What are your “tell signs?”  Once I realized what mine were I became much more conscious of them and made an extra effort to be more positive (or where different shoes *SMILE). But I digress.

Well, I think that right now more than even the world needs people like you and me to stay positive and help them see that there is HOPE.  After all, what really matters isn’t what others think as much as it does what YOU think … and feel.

The good news is I have discovered some things to help me quickly recover from that FUNK.

Here are 7 steps to stay positive in a negative world and keep the energy flowing more smoothly:

1. STAY away from negative people. You know the ones. Those that rarely, if ever have anything positive to say. About anything. Or anyone. These people will ZAP your good energy faster than a bolt of lightening! FIRE all the negative friends in your life. Tell them you simply cannot hang with them anymore.  And don’t think you can turn them around. The best you can do is be a good example and hope that some of that positivity rubs off on them.  And if they are lucky, it might (but don’t hold your breath).

2. HANG with positive people.  Just like staying away from negative people will drain you of positive energy, hanging with positive people will enrich your life and fill your bucket with positive good energy.

3. LOOK for the good. If you are having a bad day, stop and think of all the good in your life. Ask yourself what is going good for you right now? Who do you know that is positive? Ask her or him what their secrets to staying positive are.  Think about what gives you positive energy.  If you cannot think of anything current, think about the past and what was good about it. Find ways to reconnect with that good. Revisit it. Visit people you have lost touch with that made you feel good about yourself.

4. FOLLOW your passion.  It is not easy to stay positive when you are not happy with your life.  Sit down and write what makes you happy. Make a list of 25 or 50 things you plan to accomplish before you leave the world.  And then do something about it. Start writing a plan for how to accomplish each or do each of those things on your list.  If you ever saw the movie, The BUCKET LIST, you may remember Morgan Freeman making such a list. He didn’t know exactly how he would be able to achieve his goals and do all the things on his Bucket List but he knew he was going to try! And as “luck” would have it, the very person who could help him was in the same hospital room. I know its only a movie, but stranger things have happened. First you have to set your intention. THEN figure out how to make it a reality.

5. UP your attitude.  In addition to surrounding yourself with positive people, subscribe to positive thoughts and ideas.  Read things like TUT ~ a note from the universe www.tut.com. TUT stand for truly unique thoughts and every day you get a wonderful, uplifting message in your email inbox or on your mobile phone.  Another great site for positive thoughts and energy is Blesstivals http://www.center-for-positive-service.com/category/spiritual-gifts/blesstivals/ created by my good friend Lori Prokopp and friends. Check out GreatDay.com the daily motivator site for positive inspiration. And last but not least is Beliefnet.com  http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/index.aspx  their mission is “to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness.”

6. FIND the humor in life. Humor helps you with those feelings of being overwhelmed and out of control. Studies have been done that humor helps people through the darkest hours of disease and come out on the other side. Humor can also help you stay positive and motivated. You have to remember to laugh.  Two of my favorite sites for humor resources are The Humor Project at http://www.humorproject.com/ and World Laughter Tour http://www.worldlaughtertour.com/. Keep a Humor Journal and when something strikes you funny, write it down. This will come in handy when you are having a bad day because you can open it up and read any page and feel the negative energy drift away. 

7. MAKE up your mind to be more positive. Developing a positive mental attitude is a choice. It requires nurturing and training. Sometimes it requires a whole new mindset. You have to first make up your mind to do so. And its not always easy or immediate.  It will require work and commitment.  And if you create a positivity plan, commit to it and really work it, I promise you will see results. And one of the benefits of being positive is that you will attract more like-minded people. Your life will be richer and more rewarding and you will find things will start coming to you with more ease. Your self-esteem will increase dramatically and you will start attracting more of the good things in life. I love how the National Association of Self Esteem ~ NASE describes self-esteem: “The experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness.” 

Robert Schuller said it best: It takes but one positive thought, when given a chance to survive and thrive, to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.
 
Be the person you would like to hang out with if you were someone else.  Being that person will lead you to a more fulfilled, joyful life.