To many people, actually maintaining a positive outlook in today’s dingy, negative world may seem like a completely unreachable goal. After all, moods and attitudes are contagious, as we all know. How on earth can anyone keep a smile on their face, get excited about the future, or see the glass as half full when it seems like everyone else is projecting negative energy at high volume into the space around them? The truth is that optimism, positivity, and happiness are habits the same as anything else and habits can be cultivated and reinforced with a little practice. All it takes is a little time, patience, and dedication.

1. Start by realizing that the change has to start with you.

No matter what you’ve been conditioned to believe by your upbringing or your experiences in everyday life, no one is responsible for your mood and your outlook but you. Many people seem to automatically blame “bad luck”, circumstances, or other people every time something goes wrong in their life. However, it’s important to realize that this type of thinking only encourages us to feel powerless and believe that we’re not the ones in control of our own lives and our own state of being. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Bad or tragic occurrences will always be a part of life no matter what. It’s our job to turn them into productive experiences by learning from them (and taking responsibility for our part in them where appropriate) so that we know how to make better choices next time. When we can do that, we’ve already made a choice to start growing in a powerful new direction.

2. Surround yourself with other positive people.

As mentioned above, attitude and outlook can be highly contagious. In fact, chances are that if you’re a negative person, you “caught” your attitude from those around you already. The solution is to surround yourself with people who possess the type of attitude you yourself would like to have and allow them to help you change the way you see the world just by being themselves. Study their habits and their reactions to life. Positive people smile a lot, they laugh a lot, and they know how to see something beneficial or worthwhile in just about everything - even life’s setbacks. They don’t beat themselves down with negative self talk and they don’t beat others down either. Try imitating what you see yourself. Smile and look for the positive in everything even if you don’t feel like it at first. It won’t be long before it begins to be second natures to you.

3. Fill your own space with things that make you happy.

When you come home to your living space at the end of a long day, does being there help lift your mood and ease the stress away? If not, then it’s time to make some changes. Home should be a haven that helps nurture a positive outlook and a stress-free state of being, but it’s hard to feel positive if your surroundings don’t actually induce happy feelings. Surround yourself with colors you enjoy and decorative items that suit your personal style and definition of comfort. Hang art on the walls that has meaning for you or makes you feel peaceful and serene when you look at it. Play music in your home that soothes you or light candles that give off fragrances that are pleasant to you. Set aside a few hours a week to spend time reading books or watching movies that make you smile or laugh. All of these acts may seem like small potatoes, but they truly can make a big difference in your mood over time. The more often you ARE happy, the easier it becomes to STAY happy.

4. Find something to do with your time that is productive and meaningful to you.

Too many of us are trapped in jobs that don’t suit us or are living lifestyles that make it difficult to feel happy or stay positive. As a result, we can wind up feeling like our lives don’t have any meaning. Human beings NEED meaning and purpose in their lives in order to stay healthy, positive, and happy, so it you don’t feel as if you’ve found yours, it’s definitely time to get up and start thinking about what it might be. Consider what moves you in life. Is it writing? Is it teaching? How about gardening, art, computers, or children? Consider taking steps to find a job that allows you to be more involved in these activities while you make your living. What better way to stay positive than to spend your days doing something you love? If this isn’t possible, then make sure you spend at least some time each week indulging in a hobby or some volunteer work that allows you to explore your bliss.

5. Take some time each day to count your blessings.

A wonderful way to stay more positive more of the time is to keep a gratitude journal that you update each and every day… even on the bad days when it seemed as if nothing went right. Simply list five things at the end of the day that made that twenty-four hours pleasant or productive in some small way - even if they’re small or seem silly. This helps you recognize how many positive things really do happen in your life and how much really does go right. Unfortunately, it’s easy to overlook those things in the face of negativity and let them get lost in the shuffle. Deliberately taking time out to think positively and be grateful every day can make a huge difference when it comes to shifting the way you think.

The development of a positive attitude has much in common with the development of any other good habit. It takes time, patience, and belief in what you’re doing. It’s difficult at first, but it does get easier. Eventually it simply becomes a way of life for you and you’ll start seeing astounding changes in the state of your existence as a result. More things will go your way and people will respond to you differently. Like attracts like, so it’s only natural to discover that positivity and good will attracts more of itself to you. Ghandi once said that you must be the change you want to see in the world… so what are you waiting for? Let the change begin with you today.