7 Tips for Maintaining a Positive Attitude

It is so easy to see why people have bad attitudes. A quick peek at the headlines reveals the current states of hopelessness and despair. Is it even possible to maintain a healthy, happy attitude when surrounded by all of this negativity?
Sure it is! It is possible to stay positive. It is possible to wake up each morning and look forward to the day. Having a positive attitude not only allows us to enjoy life more, it can improve our health and relationships with others.

Here are 7 tips to help you stay positive.
1. Decide to have a positive attitude. We are responsible for our own happiness; other people can’t MAKE us happy. We need to decide to make ourselves happy. This is wonderful because now we don’t have to wait around for someone else to do it for us.
2. Surround yourself with positive people. We become like the people we spend the most time with. When we surround ourselves with negative people, we become negative. When we surround ourselves with positive people, their attitude is contagious.
3. Use positive affirmations. A.L. Kitselman said, “The words ‘I am….’ are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to.” We need to replace our negative self talk with positive affirmations. Replace “I hate getting up in the morning” with “I am grateful for a new day.” Eventually changing our self talk will lead to the changes in our behavior.
4. Be very selective of the music and news information that you listen to. GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT!

5. Take time to help other people. Perform some community service; help a neighbor in need. When we do some service for others, it gets us out of our own misery. It also demonstrates to us that we can have a positive impact on our world.
6. Get in touch with your spiritual source. “It is faith that breathes life into hope. It is hope that fuels a positive life giving attitude.” -K. Eubanksn7. Don’t stop; never give up. Even when we have a positive attitude, we still have days when we don’t feel quite so positive. On these days, we may need to take some extra time to review the previous six tips and remember to not give in to the negativity around us.