Glass Half Full Or Half Empty

By Graeme Renwall

Have you mastered the power of positive thinking? While we seem to know intuitively that thinking positively will result in positive results, too often we fall into a downward spiral of negative thinking. While it’s impossible to think positively 100% of the time, that should be our goal. Here are some tips to maximize the amount of positive thinking that you do:

1. Be around positive-thinking people.

That old saying about birds of a feather is true. If you hang around positive-thinking people, their thinking will cause you to think positively. And if you associate with negative-thinking people, the opposite will happen. Whenever possible, avoid such negative people like the plague. If you can’t do that due to mandatory social situations, then don’t allow those people to drag you down into their sludge of negativity. Keep your head above it!

2. Control your outlook on life.

Too often we allow others’ negativity to impact our outlook on life. As a wise person once told me, “You can’t control others’ actions-only your reaction.” Sometimes it’s easy to allow negative-thinking people to drag us into their web of negativity. Forget about them! Those types of people will do nothing to reach your goals in life or make you happy. Instead, focus on maintaining a positive outlook on life.

3. Constantly reflect on your actions and attitudes.

Always be aware of whether you are thinking and acting positively. It’s so easy to slip back into our own negative behavior and perceptions. That’s why you must be constantly vigilant. Whenever you catch yourself thinking or acting negatively-change those actions or thoughts immediately. The longer you wait, the more ingrained they’ll become in your life.

4. Make daily affirmations a habit.

A daily affirmation is a carefully-created statement that one repeatedly repeats and writes down. The goal of daily affirmations is to combine them with positive thinking in order to achieve success in whatever activity the person becomes involved in. Various recent books with a focus on daily affirmations have helped to boost the public’s interest in them.

5. Set goals and strive to reach them.

Avoid setting goals that are impossible. Instead, set ones that are challenging but within your reach. Even if you only experience minor successes, this will give you confidence to set more challenging goals to meet. Regardless of the obstacles you encounter, always keep your eye on the prize!

6. Live life to the fullest.

Sometimes the day-to-day grind can be as fun as getting a root canal. It doesn’t have to be that way! Indeed, variety is the spice of life. Try new experiences in life. Take up a new hobby. Travel to an exotic country. Taste foods that you’ve never tried before. By experiencing the variety that life has to offer, you’ll wake up each morning and be ready to face the day.

While thinking positively 100% of the time is impossible, there’s always room for improvement. These tips will help you to constantly see that glass of water is half full in every aspect of life.