Positive people don't necessarily have a very different life on the outside to people who aren't positive, the only difference is how they perceive the world.

There is always two ways to perceive the world, through limitations or through solutions. We might not have everything we want in our lives at the moment, yet this shouldn't stop us from being happy. We can appreciate the things we do have, embrace our relationships and help those around us in times of need. 

Research shows that's once our basic needs are met, our happiness does not increase as our finances do, so you don't need to wait around until you have certain luxuries to be positive, it can start now. 

Here are 11 simple things you can adopt in your day to day life that will dramatically change how you feel. This is about creating a positive and beautiful mindset that you can carry throughout your life no matter what the circumstances.

1. Be compassionate, always. 

Treat everyone with respect and kindness. The world revolves by humans working together, everything you've done so far and have accomplished was of the help of other people. When we help others, it makes them feel like they are valued and that someone cares. It also makes us feel good to realise that we are on this earth to serve another purpose other than just living for our own benefit.

2. Have Self-Respect

Don't just respect others, respect yourself. Feeling confident in your own skin makes you feel more in control of your life, this empowers you to constructively deal with the challenges in life. Having self-respect means you value yourself as a person and live by your morals and values, creating a life of great opportunities and positive relationships.

3. Know yourself 

Positive people tend to be aware of their personality traits and always make the most of them. Pay attention to what you like and don’t like and don't be afraid to live by this. For example, if you’re an introvert who likes quiet nights in, don’t head out for the biggest party or the loudest concert all the time. You’ll make yourself miserable, and you might even take out your negativity on other people! Instead, if you like different things,  embrace it and be happy with who you are and people will adjust to that. 

Hang out with yourself, have adequate alone time to rejuvenate and get in touch with your emotions and thoughts. If we aren't connected to ourselves, our relationships with other people will most likely be dysfunctional as we will be trying to fill a void we primarily have within ourselves. A positive relationship with yourself equals a positive life.

4. Write down goals

Writing down your goals doesn't just make you feel good when you are picturing  yourself accomplishing them. Research shows that progress on our goals makes us feel happier and more satisfied with life, these feelings have the potential to motivate goal-directed behaviors that are necessary for further goal progress or attainment.

Studies have shown that people who write down their goals are 80 percent more likely to achieve them then those that don’t. When you do this, you send a message to your subconscious mind – telling it that these goals are so important that you’re writing it down – thus giving them a high priority and the subconscious then begins to work on them.

5. Take control of negative thoughts

What can stop us from being positive is all the negative self-talk we have in our heads. Our minds are programmed to look for the danger in our lives, and in our modern society it means we are drawn to the negatives, also making us our very own worst critics.

This can change and you can shift the thoughts you have daily. Accepting that our mind is just running on auto pilot can help you realise you can start to plant positive thoughts in your mind, which can slowly but surely change the wiring of your brain to help you see the positives of situations.

6. Positive people don’t just have a good day – they make a good day.

No matter how wrong things are going for positive people in their day, they always realise there is at least one thing to be happy and grateful for. Realise a bad day doesn't mean a bad life and you can pull yourself out of a funk so it doesn't spiral into feeling worse. Accept challenges as they are and looking to the solutions, instead of being stuck in a set back creates a positive life.

7. Positive people aren't victims. 

They take responsibility for their lives and realise that life isn't happening to them, it is happening for them. They have identified their own basic human rights, and they respect themselves too much to play the part of a victim. There is no place for holding grudges with a positive mindset. 

We have a role in everything that happens to us in life. It's not to say we're to blame everything, it just means we need to be aware of what lessons we can learn from a situation or how we can improve in the future. Playing the victim does not allow room for learnings or even space for seeing solutions. Once you accept the role of a victim, it is like you are paralysed from moving forward. Forgiveness in ourselves and others helps positive people become better, not bitter

8. Forgive 

Even when you feel it’s not warranted, forgiveness is something that will release you from hurt and anger.  Holding onto a grudge makes you feel stuck in a funk daily, which does nothing to the other person.  Don’t drink the poison and expect the other person to die, free yourself with forgiveness. 

 9. Express Gratitude

There are always things to be grateful for and positive people not only realise this, they also practise it daily. Don't keep it in, express it all through the day.  To yourself, to other people, use social media to share your happiness with others.  Make it an unbreakable habit to be grateful all the time.  

10. Be around positive people 

We all have people in our lives that we see and feel instantly uplifted.  Spend more time with them, let them know you appreciate them, give them your energy. You subconsciously start to act like who you spend the most time with, so make it a positive outcome!

11. Listen

When we’re in a deep conversation with someone, the thought isn’t usually towards what the person is saying, it’s about how we should respond.  Listening is an art that has been lost.  If you’re with someone who needs to talk, just listen and be present. Time is the most precious thing you can give someone and you'll most likely get this treatment back from those who care about you.

Living a positive life is all about creating positive habits to help you focus on what truly matters.

So if you're struggling with your relationships, feeling fulfilled or simply being happy - try the above and turn them into habits.  Become aware of the way you're acting towards others but most importantly - yourself! 

With love,

Jacqui Zdravkovski