How to Cultivate Positivity
How full is your glass?
Picture a big Olivia Pope-style goblet filled to the halfway mark with wine. Is it half-full or half-empty?
Consistently finding the glass half-full—and the world as a positive place—is a hallmark of positivity. Conversely, always finding the glass half-empty—and the world as a difficult place— is a hallmark of negativity.
Research has found that a negative outlook can contribute to everything from depression to heart disease to lowered immune system function. It can affect sleep, weight maintenance, the quality of your relationships, your social life, and even your ability to hold a job.
If that's true, imagine what approaching life from a place of positivity could do to benefit your health! Sounds good, doesn’t it?
6 Simple Tips to Make a Positive Switch
To help encourage positivity, try the following action steps:
- Go complaint-free. Try going an hour without complaining and acknowledge the positive things in your life. Next, try a full day, then a week, and so on.
- Start a gratitude journal. Every evening, list 10 things that you are grateful for. They can be as small as I'm thankful for my soft sheets, or as big as I'm thankful for the love of my family.
- Give a compliment. Notice and honor the good in others. Try to genuinely praise every person you interact with.
- Find beauty everywhere in your world. Notice gorgeousness around you.
- Share your good news. It's okay to humble brag--studies show that sharing happy events brings even more happiness.
- Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Stating your wants with real emotion behind them sends only good vibes in to the universe.
Just like anything else worthwhile in life, maintaining a positive outlook takes practice, and the more you do it, the easier it gets. The payoff—a happier, healthier life—is absolutely worth the effort.