7 Specific Practices to Bring More Positivity and Happiness Into Your Life

Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP

Heart-Centered Career Transition and Job Search Coach | Life Strategies and Stress Management Coaching

Disappointment and heartache are painful but necessary parts of life. The thing is you don't have to let them dictate your life experience. You are always at the point of making a choice to let go of hurtful experiences in your past and move forward with a more hopeful and positive expectation that you can manage the hurt of the past and move forward into a future full of promise.

Developing a propensity for positivity is crucial because it impacts every aspect of your life in good ways. It helps you to nurture better relationships. People like to be around happy people.

Positivity can even improve your working relationships because coworkers want to collaborate with you.

Positivity is even good for your health.

No matter how blue you may feel, it's essential to focus your energy on the positive as much as possible. If you find it difficult to do that on your own, here are seven (7) specific ways to bring more positivity into your life.

1)  Always look for the silver lining in otherwise bad situations.

Bad things do happen to each of us. You may get dumped by your one true love. You may lose your dream job or get passed over for a promotion. You may get a scary health diagnosis. You may even lose a loved one to death.

All these things happen at some point in our lives. But none of these things have to define who we are. 

If we try on a new perspective, we can usually find a way to deal with it and move on.

Perhaps that "one true love" wasn't actually "the one." Now you are free to meet someone who is perhaps even better for you.

If you lose a dream job or miss out on that promotion you thought you deserved, it may signify that there is another even better job out there waiting for you.

A lousy health diagnosis may be a wake-up call to start making healthier choices in your life.

Even the loss of a loved one can be dealt with when you remind yourself that no one lives forever. It is the nature of life to deal with death the best way we can.

No matter how wrong something seems at the moment, you can always learn from it. If you take what you learned and apply it to the rest of your life, it can turn out to be one of the greatest lessons in your life.

2. Show more appreciation for everything every day, no matter how small.

When you're feeling sad, blue, or just plain down, remember to be grateful for the small things in life. Notice the flowers blooming in spring. Be grateful for the rain that helps crops grow in the summertime. Be thankful for the harvest in the fall. And look for ways to give thanks during the holidays in the wintertime.

Every season gives us things for which to be grateful.

3. Set an intention to be happy every single day.

Once you accept that being happy is choosing to be satisfied with your life, you will feel more empowered. When you wake up each morning with the clear intention to be happy regardless of outside circumstances, your mood will improve immediately.

You can do this by telling yourself something like "today is going to be a great day" or "today I will achieve my goals." Using positive affirmations is a great way to start any day.

Starting your morning with a positive intention sends a message directly to your subconscious mind. It helps you to think positive thoughts all day. By setting a choice to be happy, you strengthen your capacity for happiness.

You open yourself up to more possibilities for feeling good rather than bad.

So, start every morning by telling yourself, "I choose to be happy today." Then, close your eyes and feel how it changes your internal self. Become aware of the connection between your thoughts and your feelings.

4. Surrender your need to be in control all the time.

Needing to feel that you are in control has its place. In fact, wanting to be in control of your life is normal.

But when you try to control every outcome and circumstance regardless of the situation, you put too much pressure on yourself. It's better to choose a high level of trust and faith. Learn to go with the flow.

Coach, speaker, and author Rasheed Ogunlaru has said, "Sometimes in life, there's no problem, and sometimes there is no solution. In this space - between these apparent poles - life flows."

Tap into this wisdom. Allow faith to help you relax and enjoy the little things in life. This relaxed energy opens the door for you to receive what you want from life.

Surrendering control over exact aspects of when and how you want things to happen in your life frees you up for even greater things.

That's not to say you should do nothing to get where you want to go. On the contrary, you do want to continue working towards your goals. But you want to give yourself the freedom to enjoy the journey and the ability to adjust as circumstances change.

5. Don't sweat but rather celebrate the small stuff.

Happiness isn't all about obtaining your goals. It's about enjoying the entire journey and celebrating the small wins. Happiness is associated with the frequency instead of the intensity of your positive experiences.

Regular small pleasures generally have a more significant impact on your happiness than fewer big pleasures. So, don't ignore your small daily wins, no matter how seemingly insignificant they may seem at the time. Instead, feel proud that you accomplished something each day.

6. Get your body moving and exercise daily.

You may have heard that a small amount of exercise goes a long way toward helping you achieve better health and well-being. It's true when it comes to boosting your mood as well. It's been said that just 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise can make a significant difference in your health and overall disposition.

Exercising increases your energy level while also reducing your stress level. In addition, it can boost your immune system while also releasing endorphins, the feel-good hormones.

In addition, regular exercise improves your self-image and brightens your outlook.

7. Don't compare yourself to others.

If you find yourself striving to obtain something because you are comparing your progress to that of others, stop it immediately. You don't need to compare yourself to anyone else. You are on your journey, not theirs.

One of the bad influences of social media is that it causes us to compare ourselves with others too often. It is dangerous in more ways than one. So if you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others on Facebook or Instagram, for your own sake, stop.

Comparing yourself to others is natural to some extent. It starts as early as grade school. Every class had that one kid that everyone else wanted to be like. But now we are adults. We can approach things as an adult. We aren't in grade school anymore.

Remember that every person is gloriously different and unique.

They each lead very different lives. They each have goals, and even if those goals are similar, how each person obtains them will be different. Different is good!

Celebrate your differences!

Your happiness will not come from comparing yourself and following what others do. True happiness is about pursuing what makes you happy. So practice positivity in your life and pursue your goals, no one else's. That's the way to live a happy life.

Until next time.

P. S.

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Kitty