How to be more positive this year

Here are ways you can get rid of negative thoughts and start your new year on a positive note:

• Have new experiences

Commit to doing something new that you have thought about doing, but have not done.

Try doing this once a month and see how your life will be affected, listen to positive music, exercise once a day, appreciate people around you, get enough sleep, plan your next day’s schedule and work towards your goals.

• Find a volunteer opportunity

Volunteering at a place you feel passionate about in your spare time can work wonders in your life.

• Take time to find your true happiness

Take time to reflect on what makes you feel positive and go for it.

• Invest in a financial future

Start a savings account or open a policy where, every month, you invest a certain amount without touching the account.

Ask for a debit order to deduct the amount from your bank account into the savings account. After a while, you will see how your investment has grown.

• Write a personal mission statement or mantra

Repeat this to yourself everyday and write it down somewhere where you will constantly see it and remember your goal.

• Make time for family

Devote time to your family every day. During this time, switch off phones and other devices and spend quality time with your family.

• Don’t get worked up on people’s opinion of you

If you worry too much about what others will think, you will not focus on the task at hand or what is really important.

Stop pleasing others to get their nod of approval and set your mind on more important things.

• Reflect on past failures

Ask yourself what battles you fought and why you failed them? Can these battles continue? What can I do the next time to win them? What were my successes? How did I win them?

Create a plan of action when facing similar failures and always remember, each failure is a learning curve and a chance to correct it the next time.

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Get a whole new hairstyle or haircut

This has always been one of the top changes for starting a new year, try it and see the new changes begin.

• Write your top 10 goals for this year

Post these goals where you can see them and constantly be reminded of what you want to achieve.

• Do something that scares you

Being trapped in a safety bubble can cause you to feel bored and stuck in a daily routine, this can make you feel negative and uninspired.

Tackle your fears and see how this will affect your life.

• Slow down to speed up

Life is constantly racing and moving too fast to catch up, it can sometimes feel that there are simply not enough hours in the day.

If only for 30 minutes each day, slow down to think, plan, visualise and recite your next move.

Keep a diary of this and regularly check on it and adjust it accordingly.

• Plan a trip to a place you have always wanted to go

Going away can get expensive, that is why you should plan a trip to a place you have never been as soon as possible.

• Clean out your closet and donate unwanted clothes to charity.

• Schedule a regular date night on your calendar with your spouse for some quality, fun time together.

Source: www.success.com