On Monday’s we like to kick-start the week with simple but inspirational ideas to improve your life. On tap this week: don’t worry, be happy.

Are you the type of person who looks at life with the cup is half-full attitude? or do your view of the world have you convinced that things are half-empty? Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time half-empty–which is probably why I feel like this is something well worth talking about. Psychologists and spiritual “gurus” advise us that happiness is a choice. Donning a new attitude is as simple as putting on a fabulous outfit.

Here are a few easy ways to break the habit of being negative and “step up”.

Step 1.
Stop complaining. Negativity begets negativity–it literally draws negativity toward you and sends out a negative vibes to those around you. A Zen teacher taught me that there’s always a lapse of time between thinking a thought and communicating that thought. Which means we have a choice to focus on either the positive or the negative before anything leaves our lips. You can’t necessarily stop yourself from having a negative thought, but you can stop yourself from acting on it – saying something negative, acting out, posturing it. By shifting your focus on the positive you’ll likely find that you’ll just start having more positive thoughts and you won’t have to work so hard at keeping them at bay.

Step 2:
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Before going to sleep each night or at dawn before the day begins, take time to count the blessings and gifts you have in this life. You can even say thank you for the tough times in your life that have molded you and made you wiser or stronger. Life is a treasure. Take the time to notice and acknowledge all the gems.

Step 3:
Hang out with happy people. Just like a boat with barnacles on it’s bottom has drag, the company you keep could be impeding your progress toward an optimistic outlook on life. Spend some time figuring out which friends/family members are uppers and which are downers. Maximize time spent with uppers and let go of or reduce time with the nay-sayers.

My life has changed drastically since I started choosing to be happy and things just keep getting better and better. How ’bout you?

~Rebecca

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