Truthfully it is a skill to stay positive, not to say that not everyone has it but that not everyone knows how to utilize it. No one is refused or not given the opportunity either, we are given every opportunity during any given day to remain positive and yet so many people are miserable or unhappy. So one of the biggest questions is what is stopping us from being positive, I mean does anyone want to stay miserable? Do people want to be unhappy? I feel the answer is no, I feel that most people want to be happy and are working in many different ways to try and achieve their happiness. Many times people chase after love, wealth or status to achieve their happiness when instead they are forgetting the key principles of being happy.
These principles are based off of my own personal experience and knowledge, these aren’t researched methods as it is an opinion. However I feel that many people are missing the key concepts to being happy because they are much simpler than being wealthy or in love. Sure these things contribute to a temporary or extended happiness but it isn’t perfect and it doesn’t last forever. So what is it that makes happiness so simple then? Well the biggest component is gratitude and being thankful, oh yes it sounds pretty silly. You mean all that time that my family told me to be thankful and such for the things we had and the things we were given was actually right? Yes, exactly being thankful for the things you are given, earned or received is key to happiness. There are some families in the world that have almost nothing but yet are still proven to be happier than some rich american families. Most of us think, well how can they be happy if they possess so little, well it is simple, they are thankful for the things and people they do have and that can overtake any feeling of greed and want.
Next we take appreciation, in my mind there is a huge difference between gratitude and appreciation. This is because appreciation can be extended over to so many other subject. You can be appreciative of many things that are not material, where I find gratitude and being thankful is more for material possessions and people. Appreciation can be aspects of your life, traits you possess, your job, your lifestyle, your ethics or your ideas. You can appreciate anything and everything in your life and it turns out that combining those two techniques works beautifully to become a bit happier in your life.
If you plan it, stay focused and work on it, whatever it is will happen. My next favourite step is planning, you choose what you want to do, you schedule the things you want and you create the ways you want to spend your time. This gives you a sense of control over your life which everyone is seeking a little more control over their life so it is a perfect tool. Whether it is creating to-do lists or actually scheduling out your day either one means you are controlling the way your life goes today. If things do or don’t happen it is because of you, no one else. It seems really basic however it is true, planning allows for you to control your time. Also as well as being happier seeing that you have things to do and things that you have accomplished is a great feeling. This means that even if it is the small things and just regular tasks by seeing that they have to be done and then after that you have accomplished them. It makes the slow things like laundry, dishes and housework seem like accomplishments and things to be proud of. Even though I am young and I only work part time, I still schedule my life to the hour and I am always doing something or have something to do very soon. There is rarely nothing to do and it means that my life feels busy, productive and it feels like I am constantly producing good work. This is a good feeling and really contributes to my overall happiness.
Finally to return back to the idea of positivity I would like to come back to my favourite subject, which is being open. My key to positivity is that no matter what I am doing I am open to the opportunities that it can present. Whether it is at my work, a new challenge, a new idea, a new person, I would like to remain as open as possible. This way every opportunity provides the chance at a new learning experience, a new gain, a new concept or something new to try out. For example meeting new crowds or individuals is an opportunity to connect with new people and maybe find some like minded people and lasting friends. When I am presented with something new at work, it is a chance to learn a new skill or master something or even develop my knowledge into real world experience. This means that no matter what I am always learning, mastering, developing or meeting and gaining new connections. Keeping an open mind is so essential to being positive just because of how many things it opens up for you.
Every morning I follow a routine which involves your regular steps of getting up but then also what I want to accomplish today, what my hopes are for today and essentially hopes and things I would like to learn. Then at the end of the day I check these things off and I look at them as well as write down what I did learn and what was great about today. These simple daily steps take 5-10 minutes out of your entire day but they make such a drastic difference. I find myself accomplishing more, learning more and at the end being appreciative of what I managed to do today, even if the things are just small. I love this process and find it makes a huge difference, I would recommend that after reading this you take these three ideas into consideration and then you try it out, take 5-10 minutes out of your day to do these things and discover the difference it can make.
Productive Outside Life 