My major goal for this year is to increase positivity and happiness in my life so I can continue to improve my health. As a result, I can effectively impart wellness to people.

 

Becoming a healthy person is not only about achieving your target weight, being fit and being free of health problems. It is also about becoming a more positive person and reaping its rewards.

 

Positivity improves the over-all quality of life because it can improve your productivity and your relationships, increase your feelings of happiness on a day-to-day basis, control stress, improve your self-esteem and body image, give you confidence to be a better person, and improve everything in your life.

 

Decide to be a positive person starting now. Share your decision with someone so he or she can support you in your journey.  Learn from happy and positive people, and make an effort to educate yourself through constant research and readings. Every time you talk to people, instead of focusing on the negative, observe the positive things that you can learn from them.

 

Count your blessings. Don’t forget to pray and thank the Lord for giving you another day to live and another opportunity to be a more optimistic person.

 

Never take things for granted. If you feel bad because your weight is not going down, then focus on other areas of progress in your life.

 

It is important to love yourself and let go of negative thoughts that can keep you from achieving your goals. Stop comparing yourself with others; just compete with yourself and strive to be the best that you can be.

 

Change your negative attitude and behavior by being constantly aware of your words, thoughts, feelings and actions from the moment you wake up.  If you can’t say anything good, make an effort to avoid negative words when you talk to someone.

 

The positive person

 

If you are with a group of people who say a lot of bad things about other people, then initiate a more positive topic so you can divert their attention.   Try to be the “positive” person  and talk to people about your experience so you can influence them and change your “nega” environment into a more constructive one.

 

Being a positive person will significantly affect your moods, feelings, thoughts, words and actions, resulting in a healthier and more productive life.

 

I love to document everything—food, exercise, sleeping hours, significant daily events and even my finances. But in the last part of 2013, I started to create my happiness journal.  Every night, I record all the good things that happen to me during the day, and in the last part of the journal, I write down all the things I need to improve on.  I don’t label these things as negative.

 

As a result, I have less worries and negative feelings now. I can effectively deal with daily stressors, and I always look forward to the next day because I will have another opportunity to list down positive things, and I have another chance to improve  my shortcomings.

 

Write down all the positive things that happen to you every day. This will depend on your values, the things that you find meaningful and which can give you  happiness.

 

If you value health and fitness, then it can be anything related to your accomplishments, such as completing a 30-minute run, staying away from junk food or getting enough sleep.

 

If you value your family, then you can write about making your spouse happy with things like preparing a healthy and delicious dinner or encouraging him/her to walk with you after dinner.

 

Don’t forget to identify things that you need to improve on.  These are unfavorable events resulting from decisions that you can always control or manage. For example, you were unable to follow your workout plan because of work. Make sure you have plans B and C so you can pursue a physical activity despite the workload the next day.

 

Aside from recognizing your happiness and identifying the positive things in your daily life, make time to reward yourself with simple things that will make you smile or make you feel good—such as playing the guitar, communicating with your family and/or friends, writing on your blog, indulging in your beauty ritual or watching your favorite TV show.

These are all meaningful, rewarding activities that define you, so you can always relate happiness with meaningful events on a long-term basis. These small rewards will reinforce your positive lifestyle because you cannot feel deprived with such simple pleasures that you deserve.

 

 

E-mail the author at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mitchfelipe.