Why Being Positive Is Life Fulfilling, And Six Ways To Always Stay Positive

"Life changes very quickly in a very POSITIVE way if you let it." - Lindsay Vonn

From the moment a human being comes to life and throughout his lifespan, he is always in pursuit of happiness. Every human being we encounter in our everyday life, wherever he may be, at work, school, family, or community gatherings needs to feel complete. We all need to live our lives to the fullest, giving meaning to them and lead successful lives.

All this first takes place in the mind and how we perceive ourselves first, then the people around us, and finally the world that unfolds in front of us, with everything it has to offer,  good or bad. We create our reality and live our lives according to our mindsets.

Having a positive or negative mindset makes all the difference. To have a positive mindset means to always see the good life has to offer, in every situation you go through. Having a positive mindset attracts harmony and felicity. The relationship you will have with the people around you and the world at large will always improve for the better and as a result, it will make easier the road to success and fulfillment. 

But, what is positive thinking? 

"What you think, you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine, you create." - Buddha

Positive thinking is not just a state of mind. It first takes place in the mind, because that's where everything starts. But from the mind it starts to apply itself in the real world, having the same importance as "ethic" and "persistence."

Barbara Fredrickson, a psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina, has given a landmark paper on how having a positive mindset can affect your life for the better. Positive thinking doesn't mean just having a smile and be happy, but it can create values and skills that will serve you in the long run. It will affect your whole life and wellbeing.

Let's take a real-life example. The play of a child. During the play with his friends, a child performs physical activities, which will develop his physical skills. He communicates with his friends, which will lead to the improvement of social skills, and he examines the surrounding world leading to creative skills.

Later he will use these skills in life when he becomes an adult. He might need athletic skills if he earns a scholarship as a college athlete, while social and communicative skills will be handy when he applies for a job and during the work environment.

Frederickson defines this as a "broaden and build" theory. Having positive thinking and emotions will broaden your view of the possibilities you are offered and will create a better sense of open-mindedness. These will enable you to build new skills which you will apply in all walks of life later on.

The role positive thinking has in everyday life

Having a positive outlook on life is part of a good-natured person. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles someone encounters in the journey of life, they are not worthy to spoil your peace of mind, and emotions must not hurt your life decisions. Drew Barrymore has wisely stated: "Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths."

Our success or failure depends at large on how we use our minds; our thoughts will lead us into the projected action. If someone anticipates failure and cannot stop brooding over difficulties in every situation, he will give up on even trying and will accept failure as a fact or inevitable. On the other hand, if someone anticipates success, envisions progress he will not make room in his mind for any sort of negative thoughts, the chances he will reach success are very high.

A positive outlook on everything enables success in any kind of entrepreneurship, whether it may be business, politics, social sciences, the relationship we build with one another, or whatever we may think of. If you want to fulfill your dreams, you will need positive thinking, necessary skills, hopefulness, and believing you will get there without any doubt.

How positive and negative thinking affect our lives

Researchers like Barbara Fredrikson have conducted experiments that lead to the conclusion that positive thinking and experiencing positive emotions like joy, feeling loved, and contentment, open the doors of possibilities in life.

She was among the first to come up with these conclusions, that positive emotions unfold to you a broader sense of possibilities, providing the mind with more options. While negative thoughts have a limiting impact upon our mind and focusing of our thoughts.

In the outside world, we tend to protect ourselves by shutting what "threatens" us, which actually may cause us to miss an opportunity. For example, if we are worried about the things we have to do today, we might step back and feel paralyzed because of how many things we have to get done. Or, if going to the gym and exercising or not eating healthy makes us feel demoralized.

It is the brain that withdraws from the outside world, focusing upon negative emotions such as fear, anger, stress, and anxiety. They stop our brain to see the other options because this is our survival instinct. 

How to develop positive thinking

I would like to share a personal experience on how to develop positive thinking, it worked for me, and it may work for many other people. When I was dealing with depression in my life, I could see nothing else but darkness. I was on medication, and the drugs were doing their job, but still, it wasn't enough for me because I was going through a hard period in my life, a very stressful situation not everyone could handle easily or alone.

I asked for help and advice from a religious scholar. I believe religions have a lot to offer to people, whether we are talking about Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), or other religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism, and many more. 

He told me to believe and have a good opinion about God, and change the view I had of Him. I would find God according to my mindset. If I had a positive opinion about God, I was going to find Him all-merciful and benevolent and my life would change according to this outlook, or vice versa. Having such a view about God, simultaneously made me have a positive viewpoint about life. 

It was hard to deal with it at the beginning, but the scholar asked me at least to train my mind of having a good opinion about God for at least a week or just three days and see the difference. Changing my mindset and filling my mind with positivity and hope for better days ahead really helped me.

I started to clear the negative thinking mindset and see more hope and goodness in life. I started to feed my mind and soul with more positivity, rather than lose hope and despair. Keeping the faith and not losing hope makes a positive difference.

It didn't change immediately, but it was worthy because I gradually realized that no matter how difficult life can be, there's hope in every situation, nothing lasts forever everything changes. Life can have very pleasant surprises, and the best of it is seeing the beauty, hope, positivity, and goodness it has to offer, instead of blinding my eyes and see everything dark. I realized my mind made the situation darker than it was, while in fact, the biggest problem was inside my head and how I perceived life, it wasn’t in the outside world.

I had a role to play in my life, and I realized the real change in life doesn't come from the outside world, but from within you.  The scholar's advice helped me train my mind, and it was a very good mental exercise that brought a change in me, it changed my mind, the viewpoint I had on life at large, and the future.

It made me understand there is a silver lining in everything. It was a great plus that helped me overcome that difficult period in my life and recover from depression.  It was definitely worth trying and sacrificing. 

Positive thinking is something that can be accomplished through the following techniques:

Focus on the good things life has to offer.

Challenges are part of our lives, and what makes us grow. Whenever we are faced with one, there is always in it something valuable, and it doesn't matter if it is big or small. You may not see the goodness of it immediately, but life has proven there is always something good in it.

You have to be grateful for your life.

Gratitude has many benefits, some of which are stress reduction, better self-esteem, and resilience in hard times. Bring in mind all those people, moments, or things that have given you felicity and be grateful toward them. Look around you and see that life has many things to offer, a co-worker who is always there when you need him, a relative who takes care of you in times of distress, or even your dog that loves you more than he loves himself.

Spend time with positive people.

Both negativity and positivity are contagious, for this reason, you should consider what kind of people you spend your time with. A sulky person can bring down almost everyone, the same goes with a positive person. Spend your time with people who always see the bright side of life, they will help you have better self-esteem, encourage you, and increase the chances of reaching your goals.

Be open to humor.

In any situation you may be, especially in the tough ones, laughter might be the best remedy. It will lighten up your mood and make you see things with less difficulty. Even trying to laugh improves your mood and lowers your stress.

Practice meditation to help yourself.

Researchers like Barbara Frederickson and her colleagues reveal about meditation, that it can give us more positive emotions compared with those people who do not apply meditation in their lives. People who practice meditation have long-term skills, such as mindfulness, a better meaning of life, social support, and decreased illness symptoms.

Keeping a journal.

A study published in the Journal of Research in Personality, explains an experiment conducted with 90 students. Half of them were asked to write about positive experiences, the other half about control topics for three days. Those who wrote about positive things, after three months had fewer visits to health centers and fewer sicknesses.

Positive thinking is a state of mind that enables us to see the good and hope in every difficulty. It can anticipate felicity, empowers better health and desirable outcomes.

A real and effective positive mindset demands putting all the attention on positive thoughts, emotions, and acting accordingly to reach the desirable results. It means to give your best to achieve your goals and get the most of what life has to offer in every moment.

Part of this is being optimistic, focusing on what matters, and developing strategies on how to deal with the problems. Positive thinking can make you reflect upon your past and how your life has evolved, giving you life lessons.

Our reality and our whole world are created in our minds and how we think. Thoughts are the causes of our actions and the world within us creates the world outside us, because our conditions are not ceased by the outside world.

No matter what the outside world may be, every person has the skills and means to alter reality by positive thinking. Researchers have come up with the conclusion that positive thinking people lead a happier and successful life.

Positive thinking reduces stress, improves health, eliminates negative self-talk, and gives an emotional boost. So, don't spend your precious time with negative inner dialogues, instead think high of yourself, other people, and life at large.

The experiences of the past and the people who lived before us can provide us with wisdom and experience on how to better apply positive thinking. Positive thinking enables you to face the challenges of your life more easily, it brings optimism in your life by avoiding insignificant worries and negative thinking. Positive thinking always brings changes in your life. It will make your life and your experiences in it happier and brighter!

References:

Buddha quoted in KEEPINSPIRINGME. 108 Buddha quotes on Meditation, Spirituality, and Happiness. n.d. Accessed date May 28. https://www.keepinspiring.me/buddha-quotes/

Henrik Edberg quoted Drew Barrymore in The POSITIVITYBLOG. 101 State Strong Quotes for When Life is Hard. Updated April 14, 2021. Accessed date May 28. https://www.positivityblog.com/strength-quotes/

Lindsay Vonn quoted in Quotespedia. Accessed May 28. https://www.quotespedia.org/authors/l/lindsey-vonn/life-changes-very-quickly-in-a-very-positive-way-if-you-let-it-lindsey-vonn/

Clear, James. How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work. JAMES CLEAR. n.d. Accessed date May 28. https://jamesclear.com/positive-thinking

Goswami, Darshan, M.S., P.E. Pittsburgh, PA., USA. The Power of Positive Thinking. Self Realization. n.d. Accessed date May 28.                 http://www.self-realization.com/articles/the_power_of_positive_thinking.htm

No Author. Benefits of Thinking Positively, and How to Do It. Healthline. n.d. Accessed date May 28.                               https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-think-positive#tips

Sasson, Remez. Positive Thinking Articles to Empower You. SUCCESS CONSCIOUSNESS. n.d. Accessed date May 28 https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/positive-attitude/positive-thinking-articles/

Samson, Remez. What Is Positive Thinking and Why You Need It? SUCCESS CONSCIOUSNESS. n.d. Accessed date May 28.  https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/positive-attitude/what-is-positive-thinking/