For achieving any worthwhile success, maintaining a positive mental attitude is the most critical requirement. Positive attitude will let you do everything better than you could do with a negative attitude. Positive attitude will make you more resilient and happy. Even various medical studies have proven that the quality and duration of life is better for positive thinkers than those who are hopeless and have gloomy view of life. Though it may be difficult at time to maintain positive attitude when you are facing life challenges, but following tips may be helpful in doing so:

1. Enjoy Pleasure

You will do yourself a great favor once you realize that the little things are the big things. You will find that the best things in life that gives happiness to you are most often the small things we take for granted like time spent with the family, a good laugh with the friends, hugs and kisses from a loved one, a good night’s sleep and so on. Enjoy these pleasure in small things and don’t let them slip by. If you focus on these you will immediately feel bright and get in a positive frame of mind.

2. Practice Gratitude

Make it a habit to carry a gratitude journal. Don’t take the blessings that you have in your life for granted. Always write them down and relive the positive sensation whenever you feel down by reading it. It is a common human tendency that we tend to overlook many positive things and crib about one negative thing or event. So just practice gratitude and thank your creator for all other wonderful things that you have in your life.

3. Cultivate Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice when you focus on the present and accept whatever comes your way. Once you become mindful you work on development of skills in order to improve yourself to face the adverse events coming your way. By focusing on the present you are able to relieve yourself of the anxiety associated with the unknown events in future.

4. Retain A Sense Of Purpose

When there are some adverse events or you have some sense of loss it is vital that you retain your sense of purpose. Train your brain to accept that life is a mix of ups and downs, that everything just doesn’t work as per our wishes. Instead of being bogged down by the event try to focus on what you can control. Maintain your health and have regular exercise, regular sleep and healthy meals. Spend more time with family and friends. It is important to view life change as a challenge or opportunity to do something new.

5. Emphasize The Positive

As we have already talked about the habit of many people of overlooking many positives for a single negative. To maintain a positive attitude it is required that you consciously focus on the positive aspect. Have the desire and ability to bounce back from bad time. Actually it is only you who have to determine your reality, how you react to the outside world. The mental state that you are in decide how you perceive a thing as positive or negative, whether it is end or a new beginning. Make it a habit to emphasize the positive and you will be able to lift yourself to a level of higher happiness and productivity.

6. Start Your Day On A Strong Note

Just when you get up from sleep, be aware about your thoughts. Your morning thoughts can make or break the day. If you start with some kind of positive rituals by which you reinforce the blessings in your life, be hopeful about the future, inevitably you will have a rocking day. Your morning ritual can be as small as of 10 minutes but it will give your mind a positive direction. As it is said “well begun is half done.”

7. Do Some Exercise

One of the most effective and natural method to lift up your mood is to engage in some physical exercises. Follow up your morning ritual with a routine of exercise that help release into blood some mood elevating chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. These are the natural chemicals that give you a feeling of well being and you gain an added advantage of healthy body.

8. Saturate Your Brain With Positive

Negative emotions are like weeds. They do not require planting, nor do they ask for fertilizers. Whereas sweet flowers are slow and require care, like the positive emotions. It is absolutely necessary that you saturate your mind with positive material on a regular basis. This will ensure that slowly and gradually you will develop such a strong positive attitude that you will not be worried about small difficulties or adverse events. Stand gaurd at the door of your mind and don’t allow any garbage inside.

9. Hang Out With Positive People

We as social beings are greatly impacted by the company we have. It is said that you are hugely impacted in life by the 5 people with whom you spend most of your time. This holds good in the matter of attitude also. Positive attitude is contagious, so if you hang out with others who are happy and have a positive outlook, it will rub on to you too. This can be a great advantage at the time you are feeling bit down. Be careful that this holds true other way round also. You will have a bleak view of life if you hand out with toxic people with gloomy outlook. Make a judicious move and choose your friends wisely.

10. Visualize Positive Future

One of the most positive emotion is the feeling of hope. If you visualize your future in a positive manner, it will lift your mood even in the face of difficulties. Train your brain by giving positive affirmation and a bright future for a happy life. Let the hope of success and achievement; love and affection; fulfillment and joy turn you into a person who radiates positivity all the times.

Related article: 9 Most Powerful Positive Emotions

11. Watch Your Words

Words have the power to make or break anyone and that includes yourself. Watch out the vocabulary that you use on a consistent basis. If you speak words that are toxic or negative, it is but natural to have a feeling of unhappiness. Speak in a manner and the words that are self assuring and positive. This also include that little self-talk that goes on inside you. Do positive self-talk to boost your morale and attitude.

12. Re-energize Yourself

When you are all stressed up with a hectic lifestyle or have a deficient sleep pattern, it is next to impossible to have a positive attitude. Give equal importance to your eating and sleeping habits. Your body is not a machine, it needs rest and to refuel. Taking a small break or a weekend away from usual routine can do wonders for you. Spend some leisure time doing things that you love to re-energize yourself on a regular basis.

Finally I would say that in life when you develop the habit of accepting your limitations and minimizing the negative thoughts, you will be able to accomplish much more. More importantly you will be able to lead a more fulfilling life. Try out some or all of these habits and find a difference in the quality of life you live.

Related article: 7 Essentials of a Happy Life