“You can focus on what’s wrong in your life or you can focus on what’s right.” – Marianne Williamson

I’ve been waiting for my tax refund check for over a month now. After calling the Kansas City Department of Revenue (twice!), and being told the “check is in the mail,” I open the mailbox each day expecting the check to be there.

It’s still a no show. My positive anticipation quickly moves to negative disappointment.

My self-created cat-and-mouse game with chasing the check has left me in a negative mood. Rather than surrendering its arrival and staying focused on the positive things the check represents, I’ve become bitter about its MIA status. This bitterness is seeping into other areas of my life, too.

So, it’s time to get back to staying positive – which on some days is more of an art, than a science.

To help myself find this lost art, I’ve recommitted to returning to these ten ways to stay positive.

After all, if we can stay positive no matter what life throws at us, we have the freedom to change our lives into anything we want then to be – no matter when the check arrives.

1. Enjoy the Moment
Make the most of every moment because life can change in an instant. Look beyond the present problem and find the moments that are worth enjoying and then savor each one.

2. 5 Happy Things Everyday
Make a pact to recognize, and then celebrate, five happy things every day. No matter their size or significance, be sure to seek these happy things out and then hold them close so you can see their positive power.

3. Empower Yourself
Did you know that only 8% of the things you worry about actually come true? If you are worrying about the worst-case outcome of a situation, then make the choice to do everything you can to avoid it. Empower yourself to plan for the worse, but expect the best.

4. Embrace Your Mistakes
Accept the fact you are human, wonderfully, beautifully human, and then embrace your mistake as an opportunity to learn something new about yourself, and others. By becoming aware of your mistakes, you are able to move past them and prevent regret from keeping you stuck in the past.

5. Pay it Forward
A positive attitude is contagious. When positive thoughts and feelings are filling you up, take time to spread your attitude. Pay your positive attitude forward and then witness the light you bring into the world.

6. Learn to Say No
Know when to say when. Over-committing and stretching yourself too thin is an invitation for negative thoughts to seek in. Create reasonable boundaries that, while they may push you, also keep you safe from anxiety.

7. Hold Yourself Accountable
Keep focused. Stay on your path. When you feel your positive attitude slipping away, hold yourself accountable for getting it back on track. No one wants your goals and dreams more than you do – and it’s going to take a positive attitude to make your dreams come true. It’s up to you to walk your path.

8. Be Grateful
Negative thoughts suck energy from you. Reverse the flow by learning to live in a more grateful state. Life does suck sometimes; it just does. But even on life’s suckyness days, find one thing that deserves your gratitude. When you do, you are now open to receive more of what’s right in your life.

9. Right or Happy?
Would you rather be right or happy? The need to be right creates negative thinking because of your reluctance to let go of whatever the issue happens to be. To stay positive, sometimes being right or wrong just isn’t that important.

10. Let it Go
Holding on to old, negative thoughts will create a barrier so thick that new, positive thoughts don’t stand a chance of getting through. So, let your negative beliefs go. Surrender them. Hand them over to your higher power. You weren’t born to be consumed by constant negative thinking. You were born to make a positive difference in this world. It’s time to let go and begin living the life you are meant to live. It’s time to stay positive – no matter what.

About Alex Blackwell

Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer. He writes about inspiring things at The BridgeMaker.
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