After a bad day, negativity clouds your mind.
You were late for work, spilled coffee on your favorite white shirt, and were stuck late in a meeting. When you’re already feeling down, every minor inconvenience might feel like a major problem.
In the moment, it can be hard to see the bright side. You may default to negative self-talk, saying, “I’ll never get out of this situation,” or “Nothing good ever happens to me.” These pessimistic thoughts can become automatic, a narrative that dominates your inner monologue.
The negativity doesn’t stop there. Pessimistic thinking can spur a chain reaction of unsavory emotions and behaviors — and none of them help you see a way out of a difficult moment.
But what if you could turn that thinking around? Maintaining a positive mindset allows you to face challenges resiliently, focus on solutions, and see the silver lining, even on those days when it feels like nothing will go right.
What is a positive mindset?
A positive mindset is a tendency toward optimistic thinking. When you have a positive outlook, you take the ups and downs of life in stride. You recognize difficulties and negative outcomes for what they are, but you also try to focus on the positive aspects of a situation. That means you believe that, even when problems arise, you trust that you’ll be okay and good things will happen.
This optimism and hope help feed a positive mental attitude, increasing your resilience and emotional regulation.
An optimistic mindset also helps you see the good in other people. Everyone has flaws, but instead of labeling those around you as entirely “good” or "bad” or judging someone based on your first impression, you view them with nuance. You recognize their strengths and positive traits, even if they aren’t your favorite person.
Positive thinking improves your mental health and stress management. But it can bring about physical health benefits, too. A Harvard study showed that optimistic women were less likely to die from cancer, heart disease, stroke, and infection. When you can focus on the positives, you’ll see benefits in all aspects of yourself.
Characteristics of a positive mindset
While a resilient mindset offers many benefits, toxic positivity is the pressure to only display positive emotions. This might invalidate your feelings, as the inclination to pretend that everything is fine fails to healthily acknowledge our struggles. Constantly putting on a “brave face” can even negatively impact your well-being.
But a true positive mental attitude is metered and rational. Here are some key traits of those who have it:
- They accept reality: People with a positive mindset accept situations as they are — even if that means acknowledging that something’s wrong. They reject the all-or-nothing mindset, recognizing the bad aspects of different situations and appreciating their ability to learn from them, too.
- They’re resilient: Positive people bounce back and stay strong. Instead of entering the “doom spiral” of negative thinking while facing or exiting a crisis, they focus on the good the future holds and remain resilient.
- They’re good to others: Positive people believe in the good in humanity, and they treat others with the respect they’d like to receive. Optimists tend to see the best in others, helping them trend toward altruism.
- They’re grateful: Practicing gratitude allows people to focus on what they have instead of what they don’t. Those with a positive attitude are thankful for the silver linings and the lessons that life’s challenging moments teach them
How a positive mindset can improve well-being and success
When you feel grateful and happy, you’re more likely to see a situation positively. And positive people tend to have better mental health. Research shows that optimists present fewer signs of depression and less distress in daily life. They’re more likely to take charge of their physical health, exercising and making more conscientious dietary choices. All of these wellness habits contribute to your ability to succeed, regardless of what your definition of success is.
Let’s say, for example, that you’re hoping to earn a promotion by the end of the year. Research shows that people with a positive orientation self-evaluate and look toward the future in ways that support their professional lives. They establish better work-life balance and take more satisfaction from their careers. They’re also more motivated and productive and form more satisfying professional relationships. Being able to focus on your future productively will help you take meaningful steps toward earning that promotion.
In contrast, if you operate with a negative, scarcity mindset, you might struggle to determine what steps will earn you a promotion. You won’t believe in yourself as deeply or manage your stress as effectively, making it harder for you to excel at work and impress your managers. These side effects of negativity make it harder for you to move forward, hindering your success.
But not all forms of success hail from professional life. Well-being includes excellent self-care practices, a healthy emotional life, and optimal physical condition. The benefits of having a positive mental attitude are central to both long-term professional achievement and personal wellness.
Here are a few more benefits of positive thinking in your daily life.
Better decision-making skills
When you have a positive mindset, you’re in better control of your decisions and feel empowered to make them. Instead of feeling defeated or anxious about the outcome, you know that you have control of your life and what happens. You’re less likely to put off a decision because you fear a negative outcome or are too emotionally overwhelmed to make it.
You may also choose to take a more challenging path that ultimately gives better results because you believe in your ability to succeed. When you stay positive and rely on your knowledge to guide you toward the right choices, you can analyze options and recognize that sometimes, high risk means higher reward. You can then focus on choosing the best option and remain optimistic about the outcome, regardless of how difficult the process might be.
Greater creativity
When you’re confident and optimistic, you’re more likely to explore your talents. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become an artist or hold a traditionally “creative” role. Instead, it implies that you approach daily life with more creativity, tapping into your unique skills to generate unexpected solutions to problems or dream up ingenious plans.
Strong leadership skills
Positive leaders inspire and motivate others. Research shows that “emotion contagion” allows optimistic leaders to transfer this feeling to their employees, creating a more positive environment. And since solid decision-making skills and creativity are central to devising solutions for teams and routes for efficiently completing work, leaders whose positivity results in these traits see greater productivity and innovation.
How to develop a positive mindset
Life has difficult moments — that’s undeniable. It’s normal to feel sad, angry, or overwhelmed when facing a challenge or problem. But what you make of difficult moments matters. Shift to a more positive outlook on life using the following tips:
Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude is the act of being thankful for what you have. This activity fosters positivity because you recognize what improves and enriches your life, supporting an abundance mindset.
A solid way to start your gratitude practice is by journaling. Start a gratitude journal and use prompts that encourage you to identify people who enrich your life, learnings from your day, and the objects that make your existence easier. Be consistent with your practice by writing daily to stay focused on positive elements of your life, even when things get tough.
Help others
Helping people in your community can change your perspective. Supporting others through difficult times can bring satisfaction as you make new connections and benefit from a sense of belonging. Helping others is a documented feel-good activity that can shift your outlook toward optimism and improve your health, financial wellness, and productivity.
Repeat positive affirmations
Negative thoughts can damage your self-esteem. And low self-esteem can limit your confidence, spur depression and anxiety, and ultimately, feed into a vicious “can’t do” cycle. Switch up the narrative with positive self-talk with affirmations that focus on good things and give you hope for the future. Here are a few positive attitude examples for affirmations to try:
- “I am enough. I have enough.”
- “I am grateful for another day.”
- “I have everything I need to succeed within me.”
How to have a positive mindset consistently
It’s easier to have a positive mindset in the good times. After you get a promotion, make a new friend, or achieve a goal, you feel on top of the world. For a while, you ride this sensation. But when a challenging situation presents itself, negative thoughts take hold once again. Use the following tips to maintain an optimistic outlook even when positive thoughts about life don’t come naturally:
1. Thought replacement
You can replace negative thoughts with more balanced, positive ones. In a study performed on subjects with anxiety, positive ideation decreased worry. Visualizing positive outcomes helps prevent you from jumping to worse-case conclusions or dwelling on “What if?” thoughts.
Shift negative ideas to optimistic ones by telling yourself, “Stop,” taking a deep breath, and reframing the situation. Ask yourself what advice you would give a friend in your shoes or free-write about the problem you're facing. And, even if a situation seems dire, consider what you can control about it and brainstorm potential solutions.
2. Focus on the present
When you focus on the present, you’re less likely to get caught in a thought spiral of past regrets or future worries. Learn to turn your attention to the present by practicing mindfulness or meditating.
If you feel yourself spiraling or ruminating on negatives, try to ground yourself by noting what you feel, like a breeze on your skin or a relaxing sensation in your shoulders. Using these techniques to detach from automatic negative thoughts can help you stop them in their tracks.
3. Surround yourself with positive people
Spend time with optimists. Observing how those around you tackle negative situations with a solutions-focused, balanced point of view can help you bolster yours. And spending time with positively-minded people can prevent you from slipping into negative thought patterns by encouraging you and creating an infectiously positive atmosphere.
And, should you need advice, these optimistic people are excellent sources of information. They can share insights informed by their own resilience, empathy, and coping skills.
4. Look for lessons
Every experience — positive or negative — has something to teach you. When your hard work leads to a promotion at work, it’s natural to make the connection that increased effort brings rewards. But you may have to dig for lessons when reflecting on challenges. Ask yourself questions like, “How did I grow from this experience?” or “What didn’t go as badly as I feared?” as starting points for self-reflection.
5. Practice self-care
You may have noticed you’re irritable when you don’t sleep enough or that your focus is strained when you don’t eat well. Try to establish healthy habits as the basis for consistent, positive self-care. Get restful sleep, eat nutritious meals, and hydrate well. You’ll help ensure your body and mind have the resources to withstand challenges and process negative emotions well.
6. Try coaching
If you’re struggling to turn your attitude around, consider working with a coach. It can increase your self-awareness, in turn improving your resilience and work-life balance. Knowing more about who you are, especially what drives you, makes it easier for you to carve out a path toward success. BetterUp members see a 38% decrease in languishing in their first three months working with a coach — which is an incredible step toward a positive mindset.
7. Try therapy
Work with a mental health professional to shift your mindset. A therapist can help you understand the roots of your automatic thoughts and why, in certain situations, you trend toward negativity. Therapists can guide you toward these kinds of insights and provide tools for behavioral and mental change. They can also help you unpack past traumas and understand how they continue to affect your life.
8. Remember that you’re not alone
Avoid the “Bad things only happen to me” narrative. Everyone’s lives have challenges, and we all must overcome them to grow. Instead of adopting a victim mentality or letting your struggles fuel your imposter syndrome, view your situation as an opportunity to learn. Know that everyone has faced similar issues and come out stronger — and you can, too.
When you’re feeling alone, ask your loved ones for help. They might have had similar experiences and great advice or be a great sounding board while you try to work out a solution.
9. Set achievable goals
It’s great to dream big, have a millionaire mindset, and believe in your power to smash glass ceilings. But when you set impossible goals, you also set yourself up for frustration when you don’t reach them. Avoid the negative thought track of “I never reach my goals” by setting realistic ones. Use the SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) model to aim for what you can confidently reach in a certain amount of time.
Positivity is a key to success
People with a positive mindset believe in their ability to face challenges and use their talents to grow. They look at life with a balanced perspective, acknowledging that difficulty is inevitable but that it won’t hold them back. This positivity is a key condition for success.
As you work toward personal and professional goals, focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t. When you view even negative situations as an opportunity to learn, you sharpen your skills and create solutions. You also become an inspiration to others.
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