Everyone has negative and positive phases in life, its just that we think that positive time remains for a short period while negative time stays longer with us. There is nothing like negative or positive time. Its your attitude towards current time. Someone wisely said that life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Life is all about journey with ups and downs. As in any journey there are always some pleasant moments and there are some non pleasant moments so this is what life is all about. But still if you think you are going with non pleasant time and it feels like you lost your positive energy and motivation to react, its not too late to get up and change non pleasant time to pleasant time. This article is about being positive in life and proven ways to improve your life. This is based on my personal experience and here is my attempt to summarise it in points (not in any order).
- Read a book everyday: Reading a book everyday opens your mind and thoughts. Its a practical way to give some time for yourself and do think beyond your daily routine life work. A good read of 15-20 pages in a day changes your perception and your thinking. Start with a good positive and motivational books.
- Pickup a new hobby: Pickup a new hobby which could be anything like cooking, art, writing, reading, teaching, public speaking, sports etc. This activity helps you in finding more ways to think, becoming creative and applying your brain. Experts say picking a new hobby boosts your brain by 30% and helps you becoming more productive in any work.
- Meditate daily: Meditation helps you in removing negative thoughts from your mind. Daily mediation improves your brain power and thinking. Meditation is a continuous process, start slow with 10 mins daily routine and gradually increase it to 30 mins. Here is my personal experience with meditation and how it helped me in overcoming stress from my life.
- Create an inspirational room: A good inspirational quotes & posters from your favourite authors, personalities, leaders or even from your parents can help you in becoming positive when you feel low. Create a room for this or a table/desk where you can sit calm and just read those quotes at times.
- Wake up early: A good daily ritual helps you in becoming more productive. Start your day little early so that you have enough time to think about the day and plan your things accordingly. One hour less sleep from your routine can add huge benefits in your daily routine tasks. Great personalities and leaders around the world follow this practice. Few names include Barack Obama, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Narendra Modi, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos etc.
- Exercise daily: Take out some time to do any sort of physical exercise daily. Physical exercise is not only important for your body but it also helps your brain stay sharp. It is scientifically proven than regular exercise increases brain functioning which eventually helps in generating positive thoughts.
- Write a journal everyday: Make a habit of writing every day. It could be anything from your personal blog or public blog, personal thoughts or experience, any good moment of the day, your achievements or your learning at the end of the day. Writing helps in achieving positive way of thinking. Your brain starts functioning fast when you write.
- Create a to-do list: This is my favourite. Make sticky notes your best buddy. Create a to-do list of things which you need to focus or complete. Divide things in buckets or different lists. Things or tasks which need to be completed immediately, an other list which consist long terms tasks planned in 1 week/month or year. A handy to-do list makes things easy to focus on. Keep visiting your to-do list time to time to make sure that you achieve tasks in assigned time frame. Everyday I create a to-do list of things which need to be completed today.
- Identify things which are not in your control: This is result of creating a to-do list. While writing down your tasks or problems you will realize that there are lot of tasks or problems which are not in your control and you can not do anything to avoid or remove them so why to bother about them. Focus on those things which are in your control and finish them, once you do focus on things which are in your control and take right steps to finish it, you will realize that eventually you have finished those things as well which were not in your control. Its human tendency to focus 75% of their time to those things which are actually not in their hands.
- Listen podcasts or watch inspirational videos: This is a good way to kill negative thoughts and boost your positive energy. Make a list of inspirational podcasts and videos. Listen those audio, learn from your favourite influencers.
- Avoid negative people: Its always good to be social and surrounded by good and positive people. Negative people always pass on negative thoughts and energy. Identify those people and try to avoid them and their company. This is also one of the best way to reduce negative energy around you.
- Spend less time on social networking sites: Social networking sites are good way to kill time and being non productive. These days social networking sites are flooded with junk information and sometime baseless & false information. Try to reduce time spent on these sites. These sites are good way to get connected with people virtually but limited usage of these sites save a lot of time and sometime reduces negative energy around you.
- Build your network: Further adding to my above point, its good to build your own network offline. Instead connecting with people virtually try to get connect offline. Meet offline with positive people, discuss and exchange some good thoughts. Try to diversify your network, get connected with folks from other domain (you area of work), talk to them on various topics. This is a very good way to learn quick good habits and thoughts from your network.
- Stop watching TV: Similar to social networking sites, TV is also one of the top most source to kill your precious time. TV serials, news, reality shows all are flodded with negative energy merely for the sake of TRP (Television Rating Point) every show on TV is flooded with junk content. No one is working on creating a value.
- Start a 30 day challenge: This is the best way to start a new thing. If you want to adopt a new habit or a new hobby or want to remove a bad habit, take 30 days challenge with yourself. Make a list of dos and don’ts and work regularly without fail for 30 days, believe me you will see the difference. For example start with mediation (a new habit), just do it for straight 30 days without fail. You will feel a big difference inside.
- Get a mentor: This is also one of the most important factor in grooming yourself and being positive in life. Imagine mentor as your personal gym trainer, who answers your questions, works with you to tone your body and advices you time to time. Similarly have a mentor in your personal, financial, educational, professional, spiritual domains.
- Be kind to people and help often: Be kind to people around you, help them often. Help could be in any form.
- Take a break: Take a break from your daily routine work to rejuvenate yourself. A good and well spent break with your family or friends helps to remove negative energy around you. A time away from technology, mobile, gadgets, social media and city life helps you getting back your peace.
- Spend time with your loved ones: Your family needs you, they need your time. Speak to them regularly, a time well spent with family helps you getting away with negative thoughts around you. Play with your kids quite often. Talk to your parents often. Sit with your wife or your loved one.
- Play a sport: Play any sort of sport regularly. Playing a sport not only gives your physical strength but also gives you sharp mind. Adopt a sport in your life based on your choice, some people love cycling, badminton, tennis, squash, football, basketball or even running. Be it any but do it on a regular basis.