5 Most Effective Ways to Be Positive and Feel Happier Everyday

Have you ever been bothered by that one NEGATIVE comment someone made to you? You find yourself thinking this one negative remark over and over again despite of the other positive feedback you receive.You can't help but find a way to argue about it, defending yourself because this memory becomes painful playing back in your mind just like a broken record.

It's a human nature to have a tendency to focus on the negative things first rather than on the positive things. I learned in marketing in college that dissatisfied customers are likely to tell many more friends about their negative experience than satisfied customers about good service. I also notice that most of my officemates are talking more about negative things happening in the workplace than good things.

Research shows that people respond with more emotional distress to losing than to gratification to winning of the same amount of money. Other research also found out that our brain responds with a greater electrical signal to a picture of a negative face than positive face. These researches just show that the mind has a built in bias to respond to negative things more strongly than it responds to positive things.

Now, our innate bias to focus on the negative things is not an excuse for us to just let ourselves feel negative all the time and be miserable. We have to so do something in ourselves so we can convert these negative feelings into positive. It always begin on our powerful thoughts. We should be aware of our thoughts and begin to transform those negative to positive. If we keep thinking positive thoughts, they will eventually manifest in our world. Desirable results come from desirable thoughts.

Here are the 5 tips I recommend on how to be positive:

• Focus on your blessings, on the good things you already have. Do you still have parents and siblings? Do you have a job? Can you travel anywhere you want? Can you walk and talk properly? Can you hear the sounds around you? Do you have 20/20 vision? Can you sing? Can you dance? Can you buy anything you want? These are things which are simple but we should be grateful for. Always keep in mind that not all people can enjoy the perks that you have. So start focusing on these blessings. Feel grateful everyday.
• Surround yourself with positive people. Be a selective listener. Keep in mind Jim Rohn's (my favorite personal development speaker) advice "Don't just let anybody dump into your mental factory." Stay away from people who keep on feeding you negative thoughts.
• Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive. I remember when I had my broken heart moments because the one I loved before chose to marry another girl. I was so depressed and my mind was filled with negative thoughts. Then I learned how to transform these thoughts into positive. I kept in my mind that "God did not allow us to be together because He loves me so much that He knows that guy won't really make me happy." Guess what? I was able to move on in just a couple of months. Amazing!
• Take responsibility for your life. Don't play as a victim. If you always feel you are a victim of what's happening in your life, then you will become one. Always remember that even in the most difficult situations, there's always a way out. Take charge. If you do not like what's happening in your life, just relax, pray and think. Use these difficult times as your inspiration to change for the better. Say to yourself, "Yes, I'm experiencing difficult times, but this is temporary, something good is yet to come if I will just think and keep doing the right thing." Make a decision to turn problems into blessings by learning from them. Always remember that the most important lessons in life usually come from the most unforgettable pain.
• Read about other people's success. Read books and articles that will inspire you and make you feel good. You will be amazed that the success of these people did not come from pure luck, but a fruit of the difficulties and hardship they face across their journey. If these people did not stay positive and gave up easily, they won't become successful.

So what are you waiting for? Will you allow your innate built in bias for negative thoughts control you?
Make a decision now. Choose to be positive.Choose to be happy.

Live a happy life,

Maya