Trying to stay positive is not just about keeping an upbeat attitude about life. It’s about putting your mind into a completely different state. When life is throwing dirt at you, you can’t always avoid being hit. Being positive means developing a new skill set for dealing with negative people and situations. The more you practice being positive, the easier it will get when it comes to dealing with life.

Remember the two-minute rule.

If it can be done in less than two minutes, do it now. If you ignore a simple two minute task, pretty soon you’ll end up with a mountain of two minute tasks. So, get that email out of the way, refill your dog’s bowl, and put that plate in the dishwasher.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

In other words, have perspective on what you’re doing. Yes, things can overwhelm and make you feel hopeless. But take a moment to calm down. Once you’re calm, look at the situation again. Where in the pool are you? Don’t drown in the shallow end of the pool.

Have your brussel sprouts first.

If you hate brussel sprouts, you’re gonna eat them last. And even then, you’ll just pick away at the sprouts. Why not turn your regular behaviour upside down? Instead of eating brussel sprouts last, eat them first. Have a task you need to do but really hate? Do it first before doing anything else. Eliminating what you hate leaves you with stuff you like.

Nobody ever died wishing they had worked more.

Near the end of your life, you won’t wish you had worked more. There’s more important things in life. Even if you wish you had more material things, put that idea into perspective. Are those things worth more than family, friends, or even yourself?

Patience is power.

Patience is your power to overcome frustration and anger. Patience frees you emotionally from bad situations, and negative people. Patience is the practice of waiting, watching, and knowing when to act. It’s not a weakness, but a strength. So practice some patience in your life.

Stay positive.

Practice being positive. Just like anything else in life that you learn, you can learn to be more positive. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see the world realistically. It just means you have a strength of mind and hope in a bad situation.

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