How to be positive

What if I told you there's one skill that costs nothing but changes everything?

If you learn how to stay positive, you will make friends wherever you go, be invited to more opportunities, find way more success in dating, be physically healthier, and live a significantly more fulfilling life.

There is no downside to staying positive.

It is one of the few things in life that is completely beneficial with no downsides. So why not use it?

It costs no money, and you can start wherever you are.

But it is something you have to learn and develop. I will teach you the basics on getting started.

I used to always have a negative outlook. You know the glass half full versus half empty thing? I was the guy complaining that the glass was the wrong size.

I would waste my life thinking about all the bad things that had happened to me and were going to keep happening.

I used to have a hard time making friends, landing opportunities, and generally was always unhappy.

But then something changed. I spent time traveling and met people who had nothing but were still smiling. People with real problems who were happier than the comfortable suburbanites back home.

So I started small. I'd catch myself being negative and flip it. The results came fast. People started inviting me out more. I got in better shape. Made more money. Found new opportunities everywhere.

The more positive I became, the more good things happened. So I kept going.

Now, I get people telling me on an almost daily basis that they really like me because of my mindset.

And it has turned everything around for me.

The first step is learning to catch and flip your negative thoughts.

We form instant thoughts and judgements about our circumstances, but what makes us higher beings is the ability to detach ourselves from that first reaction.

Really start paying attention and you'll notice negative thoughts immediately come to mind first.

A deer hears a shake in the bush and immediately thinks something negative. Maybe that's something out to get me. And doesn't think beyond that.

A lion hears a shake in the bush, thinks immediately it's a problem, but then thinks "Maybe it's dinner."

The deer lives a negative existence, but when have you ever seen a negative lion?

Thinking the worst is programmed into us for survival reasons, but we are not in survival mode anymore.

We need to learn to live.

Start by noticing these negative thoughts. It's an easy first step. They will pop up all the time.

Once you get quick at noticing them, start looking for a positive to add.

For example, when you sit in your car and think "I hate this car," notice that thought.

Then add "It sure beats not having a car, and I'm not married to this car. I will get a better one."

Repeat this over and over until it becomes habit. Eventually it's second nature.

Once you master catching and flipping your thoughts, you're ready for the second principle.

The second principle is avoiding negativity from other people.

Your mind is like a factory. Feed it garbage, it produces garbage. Feed it gold, it produces gold.

Once you start identifying negativity in your own thoughts, you'll start noticing it in other people.

Avoid it like a disease.

This applies to people, news, and media.

Don't start your day with world news or social media. We are not supposed to know all the horrible things happening around the world every day.

Starting your morning reading about a plane crash in India cannot naturally bring you happiness.

It doesn't matter if it's your best friend or worst enemy sharing it.

When someone spreads negativity to you, identify it. "That's a negative thought." Then mentally throw it out.

If someone is constantly negative, distance yourself. Keep them at arm's length.

Misery loves company. Don't give it company.

When you find someone who is consistently positive, value that person.

The inverse is true too. Positivity loves company.

When someone is happy, they want others to be happy.

Apply this one tactic when choosing who you spend time with, and you will have a significantly happier life.

The third principle is making the decision to be positive.

When you make the decision to be positive, you start finding ways to do it.

If you tell yourself to look for red cars, you'll start seeing them everywhere. You may not have noticed them before.

The same applies to thinking positively.

You'll start noticing opportunities you were blind to before. Solutions will appear where you only saw problems. People will respond to you differently because your energy has shifted.

Outcomes you never thought possible will present themselves.

Make the decision.

The fourth and final principle is understanding that hard times are actually gifts.

Tearing down your muscles in the gym is what makes them grow bigger. If it was up to your muscles, they would want all good days and never bad days.

But it is the hard times that make you stronger.

If you lose your job, it teaches you how finicky the workplace is and teaches you to prioritize yourself over your job.

When you're going through a breakup, what you're really doing is learning how to heal and love yourself.

If you're going through a health scare, what's really happening is you're learning how valuable health and time are.

Think of everything that could drag you down as personal development, because that's what it is.

Every time you go through it, you end up being a stronger person.

You cannot change the weather, the seasons, or the cards dealt to you. The only thing you have control over is how you think about it.

It is not the negative circumstance that's bringing negativity to you. It's your reaction to it.

Remember: Step 1 - Catch and flip negative thoughts. Step 2 - Guard your mental diet. Step 3 - Make the decision. Step 4 - See hard times as growth.

Start today. Notice one negative thought, add something positive to it, and watch how your perspective shifts.

The change begins with that choice.