Positive Mindset: 7 Immediate Ways to Change Your Attitude and Live a Happy Life

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Life is what you make it. Reality is created in your mind first. So, if you want to live a happy life, you need to develop the right mindset. A positive mindset. Simple, right? Well, yeah – it’s simple but it ain’t easy…

If it were that easy to have a positive mindset, everyone would live happily. Yet, most people aren’t satisfied with themselves and their lives.

If you’re reading this post, chances are that you also feel like the majority of people. No worries, though, because I’m about to address just that!

In this article, you’ll learn more about:

• Why you tend to see the glass half empty all the time
• The benefits you’ll get by adopting a more positive mindset
• The 7 actionable steps you can take to shift your mindset and live a happy life

So, are you ready to change your mind and change your life? Then, let’s get started!

Why Do You Always Think Negatively?

There is a biological reason behind your tendency to expect the worst in any given situation.

In the past, humans have always been the target of many threats: wild animals, poisonous plants, dangerous enemies, critical weather conditions, and the list goes on.

If the brain didn’t retain enough information about what was good and what was bad, it would have meant only one thing: death.

Fast forward to today – a world of unlimited resources and abundance -, the brain is still wired to scan for threats.

Why? It’s been trained to do that for so long that, even if the threats are now gone, the mind still operates in a ‘Default Mode Network’ to guarantee survival and the evolution of the species.

There’s little to nothing humans can do about this: the environment changed at a too fast speed than the brain could keep up with.

Here’s the good news though: recognizing your negative thinking patterns is the first step towards developing a positive mindset that will change your life!

The Benefits of Positive Thinking

Having a positive mindset not only allows you to live a happy life (which already sounds pretty good to me) but there are many other benefits deriving from it.

Positive thinking allows you to see more possibilities in life, as James Clear mentions in his article here.

If you perceive life as a world full of possibilities, you’ll also tend to take on more risks and opportunities, try new things, and develop more personal skills.

Doesn’t it sound so amazing?! Who wouldn’t want that?!

So, if you’re currently unhappy with your life, one of the first things you need to work on to live a happy life is your mindset. If you do that, you might also:

• Live longer
• Have lower stress levels
• Reduce your chances of developing depression
• Develop better coping skills
• Become the kind of person people want to be around

That sounds great – doesn’t it? But…how do you get there?

Well, let’s find that out with these 7 tips to develop positive thinking!

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7 Ways to Develop a Positive Mindset and Live a Happy Life

To change your mindset is a long and slow process – which starts from within and, only then, is reflected on the outside.

Therefore, don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results from practicing these habits.

The key is to keep being consistent, tackling these 8 habits every day until you finally change your life!

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Affirmations truly have the power to change your life.

How?

They basically allow you to replace any self-limiting beliefs you currently have with a more positive one that’s also in alignment with your goals and vision.

You can change the narrative of your life if you only come up with the right affirmations.

After all, as mentioned also at the top of the article, the key takeaway is that: what you believe is what you create.

If you want to live a happy life, you need to first develop a positive mindset – and that starts with filling your brain with good thoughts.

The affirmations you’ll adopt are personal and tailored to your goals.

For example: if you want to create more abundance in your life, your affirmations should help you feel grateful for all that you already have while also knowing you can always create more.

On the other hand, if your goals are fitness-related, your affirmations should reinforce the belief you’re a powerful, healthy, and strong individual who is committed to having the best performance.

To provide you with some inspiration, here are some general affirmations – which happen to be my current positive affirmations!

ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEGATIVITY BIAS

Studies show that ‘it takes 5 positive things to outweigh a negative one’.

Let that sink in for a moment…

Once again, the root of this mechanism lies in survival instincts that we haven’t abandoned yet.

Although it’s impossible to get rid of the negativity bias, here is an exercise you can try out to reduce its impact on your life.

The next time you have a negative thought – either about you, your life situation, or others – I want you to instantly come up with 5 positive things.

It’s a way to counterbalance negativity.

This article provides three great tips you can adopt to train your mindset to look out for more positive things. What they suggest is:

1. Increasing your awareness when “happy moments” occur
2. Thinking of your “happy moments” as items on your to-do list
3. Reframing what you consider and define as ‘negative’

Through these simple – yet effective – steps, you can easily develop a more positive mindset that will ultimately allow you to live a happy life!

CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The hustle culture led us to feel like we never do enough. We could always do more – right?

Think about it: how many times, at the end of the day, have you noticed all the things you managed to do compared to the ones you didn’t accomplish?

Maybe you had 10 things on your to-do list and you tackled 7, but all you can think about are those 3 last things you didn’t have time for…

If you never stop and take the time to celebrate your accomplishments – no matter how big or small – you’ll never feel satisfied, independently of how much you do.

To cultivate a more positive mindset, you need to start paying attention to the right things.

The good things.

The small achievements you make on a daily basis.

The positive tweaks your days take.

So, here is another exercise for you: whenever you accomplish something, praise yourself!

Take a moment to tune in with the good feeling, and don’t rush immediately to the next thing.

Did you manage to get out of bed today? That’s amazing – give yourself a pat on the shoulder!

Were you early for that important work meeting? Be proud of yourself!

Did you finally manage to pick up a book and read for 5 minutes after months of no reading? Congrats! How are we celebrating?

Were you able to squeeze in a 10-minute workout despite your busy schedule? Treat yourself!

Something good is happening – all the time. You just have to look for it.

ENGAGE IN POSITIVE ACTIVITIES

Another key step to developing a more positive mindset is to fill your days with activities that make you happy so that you can live the most fulfilling life.

There is no limit to these “feel-good” practices: the important thing is that they provide benefits in the long-term, and do not give you only a quick boost of dopamine rush.

How can you be negative if you’re doing something you love? Hint: you can’t!

I don’t know what your prerogative is, but I’m sure that there is at least one activity that can set your soul on fire.

When you were a child you lived your life happily because you had no responsibilities and were filling your days with things that brought you joy…

Then growing up, as the responsibilities grew, you most likely forgot how to cultivate those “feel-good” activities…

Now it’s time to think deeply!

What does bring you joy? Or, what did bring you joy when you were young?

If cultivating one (or more) of these positive activities means developing a better mindset to finally live your unique definition of a ‘happy life’, then it’s worth pursuing it (or them)!

In case you need some inspiration, here is a list of “feel-good” activities:

• Baking
• Dancing
• Writing
• Singing
• Reading
• Playing music
• Exercising
• Coloring
• Volunteering
• Painting
• Knitting
• Creating clothes
• Journaling
• Playing video games
• Cooking
• Taking pictures
• Puzzling
• Traveling
• Making jewelry
• Writing poetry

The sky is the limit!

Find things that bring you joy and add a little of them into your daily routines – that’s the ultimate secret to a happy life!

ASK ONE SIMPLE QUESTION

The following advice comes from the one and only Mel Robbins!

In this podcast episode, Mel unravels the 6-word magic sentence she uses every time she starts spiraling down a negative rabbit hole.

“What if it all works out?”

Six words with the power of instantly reframing your thoughts, and unlocking the full potential of what cultivating a positive mindset means.

Have you ever experienced one of your life’s toughest moments, only to overcome it and think “Wow, it wasn’t actually as bad as I expected!”?

Once again, the negativity bias is playing tricks on you: it wants to keep you alerted to scan all possible threats.

But, most of the time, the threats only exist in your mind.

So, every time you get anxious and start expecting the worst, just stop and ask yourself that simple question.

Because it can, indeed, work out all for the best.

FOCUS ON ABUNDANCE

In order to develop the positive mindset you’ll need to live a happy life, you must decide what to focus on.

Every day, you get two options:

• you can focus on what you have
• or, you can focus on what you lack

The choice is yours.

But, be aware: what you choose to focus on will significantly impact how you feel about your life!

If you are grateful for all you have, you’ll inevitably be happier!

Related: Read here “10 Simple Tips to Feel Happier in Your Daily Life“

The opposite is also true: if you constantly think and complain about all the things you don’t have…well, that won’t help you get them any quicker!

The only thing you’ll obtain is dissatisfaction.

If you want to develop positive thinking, make an effort to focus on abundance and feelings of gratitude.

One great tip is to list – either mentally or physically – 3 things you’re grateful for each night, before falling asleep.

Make sure to end your days on a positive note, instead of using them to think about what’s stressing you out.

Remember: what you focus on grows.

FEEL GOOD BY DOING SOMETHING GOOD

There is a strong connection between the act of giving and happiness.

We tend to believe that, in order to be happy, others have to do something good for us.

Well, the truth is that you feel good by doing something good – not the opposite. (Although yes, it feels pretty amazing to receive a gift too!)

The problem with linking our happiness to the actions of other people is that we have no power over them.

What we can control, on the other hand, is what we do for others.

So, the last way to develop a more positive mindset and live a happy life is to do more for others.

Focus on giving, not receiving.

What can you bring to the table?

How can you enrich people’s lives?

How can you best show up for them?

The act of giving doesn’t have to be complicated, time-demanding, or expensive.

You can do something good for others simply by:

• Giving your total, undivided attention to the person in front of you
• Complimenting someone to brighten up their days
• Reminding the most important people in your life how much you love them
• Learning your partner’s love language to best meet his/her needs
• Working on yourself to be a more positive presence in others’ lives

Only once you shift your focus from external forces to your personal actions, only then you will be able to sustain a positive mindset that will allow you to live a happy life.

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That’s all for today!

Hopefully, the article gave you some inspiration about the quick strategies you can implement into your daily life to develop a positive mindset and be happy!

Life can be a beautiful journey or a daunting ride…

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

Until next time!

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