How to Stay Positive + Benefits of Spreading Positivity

When I left my wallet on public transportation the other day (with a good amount of cash inside), I figured all was lost. There was a glimmer, a very little teeny chance, of hope; that a very kind spirit, perhaps my guardian angel, had picked it up and turned it in to lost and found.

I held on to this minuscule chance knowing that since I was absent-minded enough to leave my wallet on the light rail at 11 PM, it was likely gone. I called the lost and found office. I stayed on hold for over 30 minutes. When the man on the other end asked for a description and my name, I visualized my name popping up on the database, and my wallet sitting right there in a box or drawer in the office.

And it was. I practically collapsed with joy as I stood in front of the grocery store waiting for my fate to be revealed. They had it!

When I went to pick it up, I visualized all my cash still being inside. Guess what? It worked!

Positive thinking and positive affirmations totally work. I can tell you this from several experiences much like the one described above. These kinds of things happen to me constantly. Many attribute it to good luck. But I know it is the manifestations of positive thinking that allow for miracles and joy in every aspect of life.

Positive vibrations can bring you, and others, happiness and satisfaction. Positive thinking welcomes more positivity into your life and nourishes the spirit. Having hope and faith that positivity can exist, and believing in the possibility of a positive outcome signals to the universe that you are ready and deserving.

Living life may seem very hard some times! It can be difficult to stay positive. Here are some techniques I have used to keep a good attitude, and welcome positive vibrations into my life.

Raise those shakas for positive vibes!

1. Fake it ’til you make it

I learned throughout my professional life (as a barista and flight attendant), how to be positive. It is crucial, in customer service, to at least seem happy. It is an exercise of the mind. Sometimes (a lot of times) positive thinking seems like an impossible feat. You worked all day, your feet hurt, you’re hungry, maybe you just had your heart broken. Just forcing yourself to smile can actually help your situation. Especially if you direct your smile toward another person. Not only are you sending happiness signals to your own mind/body/spirit, you are signaling to another mind/body/spirit.

In customer service, if I feel myself getting particularly grumpy, I will reverse this attitude by going out of my way to be extra friendly or kind to another. Most of the time, this exercise reminds me how infectious and rewarding it can be to brighten someone else’s day. Faking joy, pleasure and interest usually works for me in these situations, and almost always improves my mood (not to mention those around me).

Essentially, fake it ’til you make it.

2. Visualize success and use positive affirmations

I use positive affirmations and visualizations every day to help with the big things and the little things in day-to-day life. Most of the time, this actually works. In the event described earlier, I think my positive vibes I sent out to the universe expressed that I truly believed in a miracle, which is exactly what I got when my wallet was returned to me.

Positive affirmations and mantras can be used in all aspects of your life. I am currently reading the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Lately, I have been feeling pretty low about myself and my place in the world, so I adopted a quote from Strayed’s book as my mantra for the time being, “I walk with the spirits of the animals, earth and sky.” Hopefully, this will bring peace and stability into my life. I think it will.

Visualize positive outcomes and use mantras to get positive results.

3. Express Gratitude

It sounds like an old outdated adage, but it is so important to always know things could be worse and to remember all the things you’re grateful for. I love “first world problems” jokes. They call us out for being privileged and remind us that our problems are really preferable to those of others. And even their situations could always get worse.

When you express gratitude for all of the wonderful things in your life (family, cats, pizza…), it lets the universe know that you are able and willing to graciously accept joy and goodness allowing it to flow, unfettered, into your life and those around you.

If we all work together to spread positive vibrations and joy in our lives, and those of others, I think we can make our communities, and perhaps our world, a better place.