Not feeling well? Kind of blah and wishing you had something better to say about the day than a mumbled ‘fine’ when someone asks you how you are? The solution might be simpler than you think. 

Our attitudes really are everything. When we’re not feeling great about our lives or how the day is going, everything can seem to go wrong. The problem is, life isn’t a steady thing. You might have one really good day followed by another equally bad. With so many things outside of your control from the weather to politics it might seem impossible to ever truly feel good about anything.

The answer lies in your thinking. By being able to think positively, you will find your entire outlook changes. 

How do you develop the habit of positive thinking?

Rephrase
The obvious answer is to use more positive words. Instead of saying something negative, either out loud or in your head, try to find a better way to say things. For example, work isn’t grueling so much as it might have interesting challenges. While this might seem artificial and forced at first, the more you work to rephrase things, the easier it will be to find a more positive spin.

Reframe
How many times have you talked about ‘having’ to do something. This alone has a negative connotation, as though you’re being forced into something you don’t want to do. Instead trying to drop the word ‘have’ in this context, and try inserting ‘get’ instead. You don’t have to do a presentation by Friday. You get to do one. Hear the difference? This is how you change a task into an opportunity.

Reorient
Sure, disasters are going to happen. Not everything you attempt is going to turn out exactly the way you’d like it to. Rather than focus on the disaster, try changing your focus. It might be time to shift to a slightly different method or goal. 

Relax
It’s so hard to be positive when you’re absolutely exhausted and feeling like you’re in over your head. Sometimes the best way to cultivate better self-talk is to cut yourself some slack and take a break. Things will look brighter when you can come back refreshed.

Reassess
Being positive should never be about closing your eyes to tragedy or injustice. Bad things are going to happen in the world. But someone with a positive attitude will be able to look beyond the tragedy to the next step. Positivity finds solutions where others only see problems. Here is the birth of activism and change. 

Want to dive deeper into the power of positive thinking? Order my ebook THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING and jump right in!

People sometimes feel that they have no hope. They find themselves in dire situations and believe they're never going to recover. For instance, a person may be born with an issue that sets up barriers right from the start. Another scenario is people who experience trauma.

These situations are never comfortable, and it may be understandable why people feel there is no hope. However, there are several instances of people who overcame dire circumstances and thrived in the process. One example is Helen Keller. At the age of 11, she lost both her sight and hearing due to complications of a disease. With the help of her live-in teacher, Anne Sullivan, Keller went to college and became a prolific author and activist. She has set up schools for people who are blind and deaf.

While you may have heard of Helen Keller, have you ever heard of Nick Vujicic? Nick was born without arms and legs. He is now a motivational speaker and evangelist. You can see plenty of videos of him doing activities better than people who have all their limbs. He simply refuses to let a lack of limbs get in his way.

If you remember Christopher Reeves, who was an American actor famous for playing Superman in the 1990s series of movies. He developed quadriplegia after a horse riding incident. Shortly after the incident, he used his fame to help others who experience similar fates. 

There are plenty of other examples of people who rose above their disabilities. It is a source of inspiration and motivation to others who feel helpless. These are all examples of people who would be likely to give up based on their circumstances but refused to do so. Their situations were in no way easy to deal with, and they all had long journeys to rise above their situations. They not only did it but excelled at it.

Perhaps there is someone in your life who is facing a particularly difficult situation. You can help them by showing the inspiration of the people mentioned in this article. Even people who are not facing dire situations can get motivated by these great people.

​For instance, if you are facing a problem, think about what these people had to go through to give yourself some perspective. It will help motivate you to look for a solution. You shouldn’t look at it as reveling in their misery. You are instead, celebrating their lives and their ability to overcome the adversities they faced.

If you have had a difficult time trusting yourself, it may be a sign that you lack confidence. You cannot develop any trust without confidence. Feel secure in your abilities and be strong in your convictions. But, know when you are wrong as well.

The above requires you to develop confidence. That may seem scary to you. However, it’s not as difficult as you think. No one is born with confidence. It is something people learn and develop during their lives. It’s the same for you. Take steps to develop your confidence and trusting yourself will become easy.

Fear is the biggest detractor from confidence. When you give into your fears, you will diminish the chances of building up your confidence. That is something that deepens if you don’t handle it quickly. You need to face your fears head-on.

That doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind and be reckless. You should take chances but only if they won’t put your life or others’ lives in danger. You would not jump out of a plane without a parachute. Don’t make frivolous decisions, either. Confidence is about knowing the difference.

Start out with small tasks that you have been afraid to try in the past. Most outcomes will turn out better than you imagine. If you try to project what will happen, and it is always a negative outcome, you will never make any decisions. Take on those small tasks without thinking too much about what’s going to happen. That will build up your confidence as you’ve never seen before.

You should ask questions when you aren’t sure about the situations you face. Confidence is not about having all the answers. It’s about knowing where to find them and who to rely on with the knowledge that you need. It’s also about pulling the trigger when you have gathered enough information. 

Confidence is about taking responsibility for your decisions and your actions. If you believe in what you are doing, you can portray that belief to others affected by your decisions. You will come across as being weak if you start blaming others when your situation doesn’t go as planned. Once this happens, others will lose faith in you. That will cause your confidence to erode, and self-doubt will take over. When you make your decisions, you own them, even if they don’t work out.
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When you increase your confidence, you will automatically increase trusting yourself. Then, you can accomplish more than you ever imagined.