How to Keep a Positive Attitude in 15 Simple Steps

I’m a pretty cheery girl. I smile a lot, I laugh a lot, I love a lot, my life is pretty sweet. You will rarely, if at all, ever hear me complain about anything in my life. I’m happy, period. Dammit. But not always. I’m going to show you how to keep a positive attitude especially when you’re having a really bad day.

Some days aren’t as blissful as others. Let’s face it, we can’t be cheery all the time. It’s practically impossible. Maintaining a positive mindset all the time just never really happens.

So I had this day…

It started out like any other day. Smile, gratitude words, bedside morning prayers, coffee, etc. Yup, just like any day. Within half an hour I was frowning, scowling, and in tears. I wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear.

Within half an hour I wanted my life to go away and I wanted to return as someone else. Someone who had an easy life. I was tired of everything, anything and nothing.

I was having a bad day. A really bad day.

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What happened to my positive attitude??

I woke up that day and within half an hour I was the Spawn of Satan. I was miserable and cranky but the part that annoyed me the most was I had no idea why this was happening. No triggers, no warnings, nothing. It’s like someone just flipped the cranky switch and forgot to tell me.

I sat in my journalling chair and cried. I felt sorry for myself (why I have no idea but I did) and cried. I had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and I had no clue why it was there. I sat there and cried and tried to figure out what was going on.

Why on earth am I so gloomy? This bad day was wreaking havoc on me. I wanted cheery happy Iva back dammit!

No answers came. I had nothing. I grabbed my iPad and selected my favourite channel on YouTube, Abraham Hicks. I sat and listened to 15 minutes of a rampage that would have normally lit a fire under my butt.

Today? Nothing. I just cried. I even pulled out my Angel Card deck to do a reading for myself but couldn’t even get that done.

Keep positive thinking even though you can’t

I journaled, I had coffee, I did my Wednesday Livestream, sat at my computer did a wee bit of work, and realized I was growing increasingly frustrated.

I just wasn’t in the zone.

I couldn’t do any of it nor did I want to. I shut down the computer and did the one thing that I know always cheers me up. The one thing that no matter how mad, sad, or distraught I am, always manages to cheer me up.

I grabbed my purse and ran out the door. My therapy? Take a walk down to the lake.

Sounds simple and normal enough, doesn’t it? It is but it isn’t. You see, here in Guatemala, a walk down the street, any street, holds magical blessings.

This is what I see

When I leave my house, I walk past…

• poor single moms with their children by their side, with big smiles on their faces

• the happy drunk guy singing at the top of his lungs in front of some storefront stereo

• the other drunk guy who’s not so happy,  passed out cold on the side of the street

• the many street vendors who sit at their booths all damned day and always have a smile and a warm greeting for me

• the shoeshine boys who are always happy to see me ’cause they know there is chicken and french fries involved

• the dude who I’m sure is the town drug dealer who is also always happy to see me (why I’m still not so sure but, does it matter?)

• the many kids in my laneway who see me coming a mile away and run to me like they are trying out for the Olympics, because they know I have candy in my purse, and maul me with hugs

• the new puppies 20 feet from my door that have cute little waggy tails and think I have food for them (I never do)

• the street food cart man who lives in my laneway who also is always happy to see me and has the biggest smile I have ever seen

Yes I see all this and then some before I even get close to the lake. When I finally make it to the lake all my cares and woes are gone and my positive attitude is back.

I’ve been hugged, greeted by kids, street food-cart man, drug dealer, been entertained by the drunk guy, had a wake-up call courtesy of the other drunk guy, fed young boys, and been smiled at by more people than I ever have been in my whole life in half an hour.

And to top it all off, it’s sunny and warm.

Now if all that can’t take away my cares and woes then I don’t know what will!!

When I’m having a bad day

All I have to do is walk out my door. This town has magic in it. It’s in the air, it’s in the people, it’s all around me. The love, the warmth, the sincerity, the innocence. It opens my eyes to how truly blessed my life really is.

And suddenly, I’m happy Iva again. Just as quickly as it started is as fast as it’s over. And I thank God, for this magically wonderfully beautiful life I have.

But listen, I get that not everyone is fortunate enough to live in the most magical place on earth. So if you don’t (and I’m sad for you) here on some tips on how to keep a positive attitude when you’re sad and miserable.

Before we get started here are a few related posts I think you might like:

9 Ways to Start Your Day

10 Positive Self Talk Examples to Use Daily

33 Going Through Tough Times Quotes

15 Ways to Keep a Positive Attitude (no matter how crappy your day is)

Here are 15 things you can do to keep a positive attitude, or at the very least, make your bad day go away and put a smile back on your face

1. Take a walk in nature-plug in some zen music (or not), smell some flowers, put your toes in a cool stream, breathe in some fresh air.
2. Play with puppies (or kittens)– go to a shelter and spend an hour or two with some cute little furry critters.
3. Visit someone in a nursing home (if that’s your thing)-bring them a tea/coffee, some treats, and listen to some cool stories.
4. Talk to a stranger at a coffee shop– you’ll be surprised at how a random conversation can start the most amazing friendships.
5. Buy or pick yourself some flowers-when was the last time you did that? Treated yourself to a lovely bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers?
6. Call an old friend-and talk about some good ole days! Sometimes just hearing a familiar voice can bring some joy to your soul!
7. Help a homeless person-grab a coffee and a sandwich or whatever and bring it to a random homeless person. That’ll make ya smile, trust me!
8. Road trip-get in your car (if you have one) and go for a long drive with the music blaring and windows rolled down.
9. Send random kind texts and emails to friends or family members-they will be surprised and get all lovey and emotional on you and that will blow up your heart.
10. Write out 5 things you are grateful for-get out a pad and pen and take 10 minutes to count your blessings (not your problems)
11. Take a few minutes to pray (if that’s a thing you sometimes do)- there is tremendous power in prayer. Give up your troubles and sadness to your higher power.
12. Have a good cry– I mean a REALLY good cry. Bawl your eyes out, throw pillows across the room, stomp your feet if you have to but get it all out, whatever ‘it’ is.
13. Bring flowers to a friend-she/he will be so happy and then in turn, so will you!
14. Go hang out with happy people-even for an hour. Call up the happiest people you know and go visit them!
15. Take a nap-I saved the best for last. Sometimes all we need is to lay down, shut off our minds and recharge a bit. You can listen to some soothing sounds while you resting.

Sometimes it’s the most unassuming person, place, or thing that can help you smile again and put a song back in your heart. It will bring back that positive attitude!! Yay!!

Don’t stay in that poopy mood. You’re wasting precious time that could be spent smiling.

Please take a minute to check out my super awesome self help eStore. SO many powerful tools, books, programs and courses created from my heart to yours, to help you get through some of life’s tough times.

Click the link here or the image below to find the mini self help eBook that’s right for you.

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Peace and Love

Iva