5 Things That Helped Me Become a More Positive Person

Hi Everyone!!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable week!

I have been wanting to write about this since I began my blog because I feel so strongly about this topic. Being a positive person has always been a struggle for me. It has always been easy for me to fall into a pit of worry, sadness, and all around negativity.  I feel that many of us face this challenge on a daily basis.

I have been one of those people where if someone says something rude, if something doesn’t go according to plan, or if I feel as if I have failed in some way, it will wreck my day. I keep going back to those “failures”, so much so that even when I experience success, they are always shadowed by what I see as my flaws.

Luckily, I have been trying out a few things that I feel have really helped me in concentrating on the good vs. the bad!

So here are 5 things that have helped me become a more positive person!

1. Make a conscious decision to start every day brand new. 
   • This one is probably the most difficult for me than the rest of the things I will mention. Making a decision to be positive is easier said than done, but I feel that once you decide to be positive in the little moments, it really does add up to a more positive outlook on life!
   • When I wake up in the morning, I try to tell myself the same thing every single time, whether it is the moment I open my eyes or later when I am drinking my coffee. That today is a new day, and as long as I do the best I can, it will be a good day! The way I see it is that sure I might have said the wrong things, or not have had time to do the dishes the day before, but that is OK! As long as I make an attempt to be kind, intentional, and happy, then that is all that really matters. As long as I am doing my absolute best in everything I do, then I feel like that is a job well done!
2. Pause!
   • I am a serial worrier (especially about the little things!). For some reason, I think that if something is not done or said right away, then the world will end at that very moment! I don’t understand why I have this need to have everything figured out as soon as possible, but if it is not, I begin to think of the worst outcomes! “This person will hate me forever if I don’t give them an answer or if I say no.” “My whole family is going to starve because I didn’t have time to make dinner and now everyone is home.” “I haven’t gotten a chance to put the laundry away and now someone is on their way over and they are going to judge me and my home, and then tell everyone!” Obviously, none of those things are going to be the reality of the situation, so I have tried to train my brain to understand the benefits of just pressing the pause button.
   • Breathe! Whatever the worst outcome is in this situation, it is fixable! I can put the laundry away later. That person won’t hate me (even if they are upset, they will get over it). If they judge, that is not on me. Who cares?
3. Understand what you want and communicate that to others. 
   • As I started to really concentrate on studying why I had a negative mindset, I realized that I had the tendency to not share what I wanted with the people around me. I was so afraid of confrontation that I was sacrificing my own wants and needs for others wants, which had caused me to basically put myself in a bubble in the back of my mind.
   • What I started to do when I was in a situation where I was faced with a decision I had to make, I would ask myself “What do I want?” And then I would think of a respectful way to convey that want to others. And what do you know, it actually worked! I made a decision that made me happy, and helped others understand! Whoa!
4. Choosing a healthier lifestyle!
   • I never would have guessed that choosing to become healthier would have aided in my positivity, but it definitely did! This one is very simple!
   • The healthier I ate, and the more active I became, my body was suddenly calm and positive. Treat your body with kindness! It really will benefit you in the end!
5. Surrounding yourself with positive people. 
   • The saying that you become who you surround yourself with is very true! I noticed that when I was with people who constantly complained, or had a more negative outlook on life, the sadder and more negative I became. And the other way around, the more I surrounded myself around people who were more positive and happier in general, the happier I became. I started to tell myself how awesome simple things were. I began noticing small acts of kindness I had always overlooked. And when someone did treat me disrespectfully, I had finally learned to brush it off. Because the only thing I can change is myself and how I react to certain things. You can’t be everybody’s cup of tea.
   • Find friends who share your interests! Make it a point to see them somewhat often. Lift others up! Offer to help even if you get nothing in return. These small actions really do make the biggest differences!

For me, being positive is still a daily mission. Some days are harder than others, but that is OK! Because I am human, and one mistake will not be the end of the world!

I hope this post helps if you are also someone who has struggled/struggles with leading a happier life!

Comment down below if any of these things may have worked for you!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend and I will talk to you in my next post!!

Intentional – My Word of 2018

So I don’t know about you, but when it comes to New Years resolutions, I rarely even make it to day two.

I can’t quite explain why, but I have never been able to hold down a resolution for the life of me. Maybe it is because I never grew up knowing and understanding the meaning of resolutions. Maybe it is because I never found a way to encourage myself to stick to my resolutions. A way that worked anyways.

Nonetheless, as I got older and the New Year would begin approaching, I would begin pressuring myself into writing lists and organizing inspirational quotes around what I felt I wanted to accomplish in the year to come. And like always, the deadline came and went and I went on not taking any steps in order to accomplish my goals.

So as 2017 was a very big year for me, I tried to take a look at what I wanted for 2018. And I realized that I was setting myself up for failure by creating a To-Do list. I am not nor have I ever been a “To-Do List” kind of girl.

What I was good at was trying to remind myself of small things daily, and having simple mantras. Nothing crazy, just reminding myself throughout the day of simple things like “Always do your best” and “I am beautiful, cellulite and all!” With all of that in mind I decided to have one goal for the year of 2018. Find a word and stick by it. In everything I do, the way I treat others, the way I treat myself, remember my word. As I go about my days, the good, the bad and the ugly, follow my word. And as I entered the New Year, I found that this simple little goal has kept me going, and kept me along a path that I am proud of. Sure sometimes, like anything else, it gets a little foggy and I lose sight of my word. But I am thankful that I have reminders in my life (specifically my loving husband and little Sophie girl) to keep me on course and remind me why I chose my word in the first place.

So for the year of 2018, I chose the word Intentional. I strive to live intentionally. I want to lead a life making purposeful and intended decisions that lead me right where God needs me. And I must say that picking a word of the year has really kept me grounded in my “resolution”. By trying to remind myself daily that I want to live an Intentional life, I have found that I make more decisions that make me feel happier, and healthier (in mind, body, and spirit.) I feel more excited to start my day. I have been laughing and smiling more, and just really enjoying little things in life that I have always overlooked.

I feel as if I try to intentionally make the decision every day to be the best I can be and do the best I can, then I will begin to live the happiest and most positive life that I am able. And by doing that I can in turn be completely thankful for all of the blessings that God has bestowed on me!

So I encourage you, even though it is not the beginning of the year, find a word that prompts you to take the necessary steps into leading the life you want to be leading! And once you do, hold tight to that word. Remind yourself of it. Write it on your mirror or in your planner. Carry it with you and let it inspire you to be the best you that you can be!