A negative attitude can hold you back from truly living your life. However, you don’t need to feel stuck because you can bring positive thoughts back into your life!

How Negativity Can Hold You Back

Negativity can hold you back in a number of ways. Have you heard the saying: “If you think you can’t, you’re right”? It’s true! Negative thoughts like this really do sabotage your efforts.

The good news is that you can gain control over how you think. When you’re expressing complaints and negativity all the time, it not only affects you, but it also affects the people around you. Negativity, itself, can be the reason why you create roadblocks that don’t really exist! So it’s time to choose the positive (and, yes, it is a choice!).

Manifesting A Positive Attitude

When you adopt a positive attitude, you open yourself up to the wonderful world of possibilities. When positive energy is in the air, you’ll be able to transform your negative feelings and maybe even bring others out of their negativity clouds.

Believe it or not, positive thinking is very powerful. It’s the driving force that steers your life into the direction of your dreams. Remember, your thoughts affect how you feel, and how you feel affects what you do, so if you can change your thoughts, you can change your outcome.

How To Develop A Positive Attitude

How can you change your attitude? It’s easier than you think.

Follow these tips to develop a positive attitude:

1. Visualize. When the negative thoughts come crawling into your mind, transform them with positive images. Visualize something that you find pleasing, peaceful, or exciting. Remember what your ultimate goals are and imagine what it feels like to achieve them.

2. Write it down. Keeping a journal has many positive effects. It helps you vent your frustrations, organize your life, and reflect on your innermost thoughts and feelings. Instead of focusing on the bad, use your journal to chronicle the things that have gone well in your life lately.

3. Relax. Negative feelings are bound to arise when you’re in a stressful state. It’s important to take time out of each day for yourself. This means that you need to adopt a relaxation method that works for you. Perhaps you can take a bath, go to church, attend a yoga class, or meditate. When you’re relaxed, a peaceful and positive mindset will likely overtake you.

4. Read and write affirmations. Grab a book with positive affirmations in it, or better yet, write your own. Affirmations are a powerful way to bring positive thoughts into your present state of well being. Affirmations are short statements in the present tense that remind you of positive attributes and goals in your life. Here’s an example: “I am strong and competent.”

5. Live for the moment. Live your life for the moment and let go of everything else going on in your life. Negative feelings can easily overwhelm you if you’re consumed by past failures or the fear of the future. When you concentrate on the present, your life becomes more peaceful and positive.

In the end, go easy on yourself. You don’t need to be your own worst critic, instead, try being your biggest advocate! Just concentrate on your well being and you will develop a more positive attitude.

Even when change is forced upon me and brings challenges, it opens new doors of opportunity. I now realize that a change that seems devastating can actually propel me into a better life!

Where would I be today if I had not lost that job, causing me to seek a better, more fulfilling path in life? How could I have the husband I enjoy now if I had not left my old boyfriend behind?

Change is one of the blessings that come with the power of choice. I can choose to leave things the way they are, or change them to something better.

I can choose to waste my life fighting inevitable changes or take advantage of them and enjoy life. When life hands me lemons, I choose to make lemonade!

Change allows me to learn and grow. As I strive to achieve my goals, I embrace the changes in my life that bring me ever closer to success. With each change, I become more knowledgeable, stronger, and more confident that I can handle whatever life may bring.

I know that today brings its share of changes. I choose to welcome them all and allow myself to enjoy all opportunities that come my way.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. What changes am I resisting in my life right now?
2. How can I embrace these changes and use them to improve my life?
3. Is there something I can change to move me closer to my goals?

Life is constantly changing around us, in us, through us, and about us. It’s inevitable that there are going to be changes throughout life. Some will be good, some bad, and some indifferent. Some you like, some you hate, and some just don’t matter.

Obviously the changes you like are easy to deal with and you might even look forward to it! What about the changes in life that aren’t so peachy? How do you handle those?

Let’s explore some of these common changes and the best ways to cope with them.

Job Loss

Job loss is on the forefront of almost every American’s mind right now as the economy declines more and more each day. This type of change can be very stressful, if you allow it to be. However, by looking at the situation differently, job loss doesn’t have to be stressful.

When you’re faced with job loss, try to think of it as a new opportunity to try something new or something you’ve always wanted to do.

Some ideas are:

• Take some evening classes to learn a new skill or trade.

• Make arts, crafts, or jewelry and sell it online or at craft fairs.

• Teach others what you know through tutoring or consulting.

• Start an online business.

The point is to take a step out of your comfort zone and see the many opportunities that lie before you.

Stepping out of your comfort zone isn’t easy though, is it? It does take effort and courage. When you’re stuck in your comfort zone, well, you’re just that – stuck. Who wants to be stuck? I don’t and I would venture to say that neither do you!

To get unstuck, take a step out of your comfort zone and look at other possibilities, instead of stressing over the changes that lie ahead.

Moving

How about moving or transferring to another area? That can be a pretty big change that could cause a lot of stress.

The best way to cope with this situation is to look at it as a time to refresh and renew. I know this can be difficult sometimes, especially when you love the area you live in now. And, of course, you’ll miss all your friends, family, and familiar sites.

Moving away from people you love can be very stressful and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! You can look at the big move as an opportunity to stretch your horizons and meet new people.

Your friends and family will still be there, and you’ll still be able to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. But you’ll also grow roots in other places, and you just might build even stronger friendships and relationships than you’ve ever imagined!

Focus on the New Opportunities

There are always positive ways to look at things and when you train your minds to look at change as opportunity, instead of stressing out about it, you’ll be happier and healthier.

Here are a couple of other common life changes that tend to be stressful, but can be seen as an exciting, new opportunity:

• Unexpected Pregnancy – An unexpected pregnancy obviously can cause stress financially, emotionally, physically and mentally. However, it’s a wonderful opportunity! An opportunity to love a child and to give life. A new opportunity to make some lifestyle changes or to give life to someone who can’t have children of their own through adoption, and so much more!

• Children Growing Up – A child going off to college or moving away from home is a huge change that many find difficult to deal with. Once again, look at the opportunities available not only to you, but for your son or daughter as well. Maybe you’ll be able to downsize your home, saving you hundreds of dollars each month. Or perhaps your bond with your partner and friends will grow and strengthen during this time. Not to mention the growth and experience your child is going to gain as they grow and mature out in the world on their own.

How you choose to handle a situation will determine how much stress you’re going to allow on yourself. You can either look at it as a new opportunity or a dreadful scenario. The choice is yours. But the sooner you begin to look at life changes as new opportunities, the sooner you’ll enjoy a less-stressed life!

My deadlines are important to me and with careful planning I am able to achieve anything I set my mind to. I plan ahead to ensure I am at my best in order to become the success that I deserve.

I make plans to achieve my goals without stress. When I do this, I confidently and calmly meet my aspirations.

When I create an effective plan that helps me meet my deadlines, goals and desires in life, I am able to accomplish more with ease. I enjoy the success I create for myself.

Visualizing my goals with their deadlines helps me create a solid plan of action. I also leave wiggle room for unexpected changes in case things come up. This allows me to accept little bumps along the way without losing sight of where I am meant to be.

I enjoy the relaxed feelings I have when those little bumps come up because I have left room for them in my plans. In turn, I enjoy my journey along the way and I celebrate my success when I reach the finish line victoriously.

Today, I carefully construct my plans and remember to leave myself some wiggle room. By doing this, I can meet my deadlines no matter what obstacle may arise in my path. I can enjoy my journey and feel the satisfaction of success.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Have I planned ahead to meet my deadlines?
2. Have I allowed wiggle room in my plans?
3. Can I take delays in stride because I have planned for such possibilities?

The first clue to figuring out your purpose in life is to consider what natural talents, gifts and abilities you’re born with.

• Are you artistic or musical?
• Is it easy for you to talk to people?
• Are you a natural communicator?
• Do you love to socialize?
• Do you love to decorate and rearrange your home?
• Are you good at taking charge?
• Are you creative and crafty?
• Do you understand electronics and technical gadgets?
• Do you understand computer technology?
• Do people compliment you on your style?
• Are you a good writer?
• Do you have good organizational skills?

Once you figure out what talents naturally live within you, you can then understand what you’re supposed to be doing with those gifts and talents. This is your purpose in life.

What Do You Love to Do?

Have you ever sat down and really reflected on what you love to do?

There are literally millions of possibilities, so start with the gifts and talents you were born with. From there figure out what you love to do that requires using those gifts and talents.

• If you’re artistic or musical, teaching others how to draw, paint or play an instrument may be your calling in life.
• Being naturally social, you might consider being an organizer for social events.
• If you’re always redecorating and rearranging your home, why not get paid to do it and start an interior decorating business?
• Being a natural born leader opens all kinds of doors that could lead you in many different directions. Does your church or other local community groups need someone to head up a department? You may find your purpose there.
• If you’re good at making crafty things, helping at a preschool or elementary school may be fulfilling for you. Using your creative ability could open the door to a career in graphic arts as well.
• If you’re technically minded, perhaps you might consider using your understanding of electronics to fix equipment or you might enjoy working in an electronics store.
• If you have a strong knowledge of computers, you’re certain to find a career online or with a high tech company or you might even consider starting your own business.
• If you’re naturally stylish and love to keep up with what’s new in the fashion world, perhaps designing your own line of clothing or accessories is your purpose. Or maybe you’d enjoy helping others discover what style works best for them by working in a clothing store. Another option may be to offer your services as a fashion consultant to those who are unemployed, so they can learn how to dress professionally for job interviews.
• The love of writing may be something you don’t even realize yet. With blogging becoming the most popular way to market a business, getting paid to write is a great way to make money from home. Many people have started a simple blog that has turned into a money making machine. Start by writing on topics you already have knowledge about and go from there. You might be surprised at how much money you can make with your love of writing.
• Using your organizational skills, you might be fond of going into homes and getting them ready for sale or helping elderly persons organize their homes. You could also offer your services online as an organizational consultant or teach those who aren’t naturally organized.

Finding your purpose in life simply takes self-reflection as well as some trial and error. Free yourself from wandering through life without purpose. We’re all here for a reason and, once your find your purpose and begin living it, you’ll feel happy and fulfilled!