These days we hear a lot about Cosmic Ordering, The Secret, the Law of Attraction and the fact that like attracts like. If this were true then surely it would benefit all of us to learn how to live our lives a little more positively. And even if it’s not true ? what have we got to lose by becoming at least a little more positive in our daily lives? Surely our lives would be more pleasurable if we lived this way. So, with this in mind, here are a few handy ‘tips and hits’ to help you to live your life in a more upbeat and optimistic way. Wherever you can, try and spread a little happiness. A kind word, or thought or deed goes a long way. Can you think of a time when you felt good or something good happened to you because of something someone else said or did? If you want to be happy, try making someone else happy. If you want to be more abundant, share what you do have with someone else. Feeling gratitude is one of the most important things you can do to help you to live more positively. Even in the worst of circumstances, there is always something to be grateful for. I’ve found it helps to keep a ‘Gratitude’ journal. This is simply a list of things I’m grateful for. There are so many things I have to be thankful for and the very act of writing the list reminds me of them and puts me in a more positive frame of mind. If you try it, you may find it hard to think of anything at first, but as you go on and keep at it, you’ll soon find that it’s difficult to stop! Try and keep writing in it too, as you go along. See if you can’t think of five new things to add to it each day. Affirmations are a very powerful way to help you stay positive too. Use them as often as you can. Do make sure that they’re all positive, present tense and personal though, and phrase them to say what it is you do want, not what you want to be rid of. Write them down or say them to yourself over and over, in your mind or out loud until they become a part of you. And if you’re constantly on the lookout for evidence that your affirmations are working you’ll soon see a difference. Learn to relax more. A few minutes relaxation each day will help you to keep on top of things. A good way to relax yourself is to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed, sit or lie comfortably and just focus on your breathing for a while. To stop your mind from wandering, try saying ‘I am,’ on the in breath and ‘at peace’ on the out breath. Breathing in ? ‘I am’. Breathing out ? ‘at peace’. I use this technique with my meditation groups and it really helps to stop the mind from chattering and spoiling your relaxation. You only need to do this for about ten minutes a day, and you will gain many benefits, not least that you’ll begin to look forward to it, and you’ll feel more in control of yourself and your life. Watch your words! It’s surprising how many negative statements we can make in a day. And the things we say can soon become reality for us if we repeat them often enough. One exercise I find helpful is to watch what you say on the phone. Sometimes, when there’s someone at the other end moaning about something, we often just tend to agree without even realising that we’re doing it. Or maybe you have a friend who’s a bit of a moaner and you just say ‘Yes, yes’ to save yourself the bother of thinking up a reply. If you catch yourself doing this, try and see if there’s another way to put things in a more positive light. Think about what you really want to achieve in life. If your life were perfect in every way, how would it be? Write a page or two describing your ideal life as if it already existed. That way at least you know what you’re aiming for and you can work towards that. Most positive people have a goal to work towards and something to look forward to once their goal has been achieved. Mental imagery can also work well to help us be more positive. Create a picture in your mind of you looking your best and living your ideal life. And make it a habit to think about it often, especially at the beginning and end of each day. Okay, so you’re maybe not living your ideal life right now, but it’s something to aspire to isn’t it?Allow yourself to spend some time each day reading uplifting books, watching uplifting films or plays. They don’t necessarily have to be ‘motivational’ ones. Just ones that you enjoy and feel good reading or watching. Try not to read newspapers, which carry bad news, or watch the TV news. This will only serve to bring you down and ‘prove’ that the world is in a bad way. If something really important does happen, you’ll get to hear about it anyway. Try and make a game out of finding the positive in things. “Of course it’s raining, but never mind, the garden’s getting watered. ” Okay, so it’s a bit of a ‘Pollyanna’ attitude, but why not? It’ll make you feel better and, after all, that’s what it’s all about. And above all else, do treat yourself well. Allow yourself a little time for relaxation each day, drink lots of water and give yourself the best and freshest foods you can find. You’ll feel much healthier as a result. And allow yourself the occasional treat too. A small bar of chocolate or cream cake won’t do you any harm (unless of course, you’re allergic to them. ) Even then, there must be some little thing you can have that you will enjoy. And make time to do the things you enjoy too. You (and your work) will benefit much more from doing this. Treat yourself as if you were your own best friend. After all, you deserve it. Remember, you cannot give, unless you give to yourself first. Allow yourself to have the good things in life and then spread them around. And when people ask what you’re taking, simply tell them ‘a good dose of positivity’!