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Our minds have incredible power, whether we realize it or not.
The thoughts we think on a daily and moment-to-moment basis shape our reality and determine the level of success, happiness and fulfillment we experience.
Negative thinking has its place as a natural human phenomenon, but if we train our minds to focus more on positive thoughts and possibilities, we gain access to a whole new world of opportunity and achievement.
We want to share with you 17 positive thinking drills that you can start incorporating into your daily routine to get your mind primed for unstoppable success.
These drills provide tangible exercises you can do whenever negative thinking tries to creep in, to help override it with optimism, confidence and belief in your ability to accomplish your goals.
Developing the daily habit of staying present and thinking positively when challenges arise is a true game-changer.
Are you ready to level up your mindset and take your success to new heights?
#1. Journal
Getting your thoughts down on paper is a great way to get them out of your head.
While this applies to both positive and negative thoughts, it is particularly important for negative ones.
By not allowing them to take root, you can more easily focus on the positives in your life.
#2. Start Your Day Off Right
How you wake up determines your outlook for the day.
If you wake up angry or sad, negative thoughts will easily fill your mind.
But if you start your day off with gratitude, you will more easily think positive thoughts, putting yourself in a better mindset to tackle your day.
#3. Believe In Yourself
Do you believe in yourself?
If you have doubts and listen to your inner thoughts too much, you will always second guess the decisions you make.
And when you second guess things, you never fully commit.
This is a classic example of not living life to its fullest.
Learn to believe in yourself and your abilities and you will find it becomes easier to be positive.
#4. Banish Negative Thoughts
The first, and most effective positive thinking exercise is to recognize and remove negative thinking when it pops up.
If you catch yourself midway through a destructive thought, replace this thought with mental images and affirmations that are positive and happy.
For example, replace “I’m having the worst day”, with “at least the weather is great today, I love the warm sun on my skin!”.
You’ll soon have your spirits lift, and whatever problems you are facing will feel much smaller and insignificant.
#5. Realize You Are Human
The biggest flaw most of us make is we forget we are human.
We make mistakes all the time.
We even make mistakes at times when we know better.
Don’t punish yourself for this.
Allow every situation to be a learning moment.
Accept the fact that you are not perfect and never will be, no matter how hard you try.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to be better all the time.
Rather it means don’t give up just because you failed or made a mistake.
#6. Keep Happy Reminders Near By
When I get into a negative thinking funk, I have tools and props I use to halt the negativity and get back to a more positive outlook.
For me, I have some funny pictures and videos.
These make me laugh, and when I laugh, my spirit and mood pick up.
Take some time to find things that make you happy and laugh.
These can be funny pictures, videos, stories, quotes, whatever.
Once you have a handful, make sure you have them somewhere where you can easily access them.
Mine are on my phone since I always have it with me.
#7. Create A Gratitude Diary
Gratitude is immensely powerful. It allows you to appreciate and be thankful for the things, people and experiences in your life.
This positive thinking exercise involves writing daily entries in your diary of things that you are thankful for.
Don’t limit yourself to be thankful for only the good things. Be thankful for the not so good as well.
This includes your difficulties, frustrations, challenges and struggles.
After all, they are each a learning exercise for you, and will have a silver lining embedded in them somewhere if you look hard enough.
Consider these examples that can turn a negative experience into a positive one.
- If you’re frustrated about losing your job, be thankful that this is now an exciting new opportunity for you to find a career you will really love.
- If it’s raining on the weekend you’re planning on having a picnic, be thankful that your garden will get some much needed water.
- If you’re upset that you are sick and have to stay in bed, be thankful that this is the perfect opportunity to read that book you’ve been dying to read.
Learn to train your mind to think about your life in terms of what is great about it, instead of what is missing from it.
If you can do this, you’ll realize that the challenges and difficulties you face can be blessings in disguise!
#8. Take Advantage Of Affirmations
Using affirmation exercises is a simple way to get you into positive mindset.
I say simple daily affirmations when I wake up in the morning before getting out of bed.
They are great because they help you start the day off on the right foot.
I’ve found when I say have positive self talk with myself, when negative things happen, I am able to shrug them off most easily.
In other words, the negative beliefs I have don’t stick around.
For example, if I say my affirmation and realize I am running late for work, I don’t get as stressed.
I know things will work out.
But if I’m running late and haven’t said my affirmations, I am angry with myself and others.
Make it a point to say some positive affirmations throughout your day and you will stay positive a lot more often.
#9. Accept The Past
The past is what happened.
You cannot change it.
All you can do is accept it, learn from it, and move on.
This is a lot easier said than done.
But you must try.
The sooner you can do this, the sooner you can break free from your past, no matter how bad it might have been.
Stop allowing the past to define who you are today.
Start allowing today and tomorrow write the new chapter in your life.
#10. Talk To Yourself
Having conversations with yourself doesn’t make you crazy.
In fact, it is perfectly healthy and normal to talk to yourself.
By having internal conversations, you can change your thought pattern and thinking.
The goal is here is to have positive self talk and not negative talk.
If you find most of your talks are negative, then work on using the tips in this post to improve the words you say to yourself.
#11. Surround Yourself With Positive People
This is more a lifestyle adjustment than a positive thinking exercise, but a valuable one nonetheless.
You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
If these people are negative, down on life and uninspiring, it’s likely that you will absorb this mental state too.
Try to surround yourself with happy people and you’ll soon see their positive thinking, optimism and good attitude rub off on you!
#12. Practice Finding The Positive
I’ve found the skill of always finding the positive in any situation to be a game changer.
It wasn’t easy at first, but over the years, I now find it comes naturally.
Start by practicing in small moments and work your way up to larger ones.
When you are rushing to work and get stuck in traffic, instead of getting mad or upset, be thankful you can listen to the music you love for a few extra minutes.
If you are work and your boss hands you another item to get done, be thankful you have a job instead of getting mad you have a work a little more.
Over time you will find it is easier to see the bright side of any situation.
#13. Smile, Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
Just as our thoughts can affect our mental state, so can our actions.
Smiling even when you feel absolutely miserable is a quick way to send your brain a positive message.
This is true despite what negative beliefs you have rolling around in your head!
If you want to take it a step further, consider going out of your way to do something nice for someone else.
The positive actions you do will lift your spirits and can snap you out of your negative mindset.
#14. Collect Smiles
What is more uplifting than thinking about all of the smiles and moments of happiness you’ve experienced with people throughout the day?
Purchase a small notebook, and any time someone smiles at you, record it in your book, and review it right before you go to bed.
Reflecting back on these happy moments from your day can help you finish on a high, no matter how frustrating and stressful it has been.
You’ll soon find yourself doing whatever it takes to make someone else smile, just so you can beat your smile quota from before!
#15. Write Down Your Wins
At the end of the day, take a few minutes to write out three things you succeeded with today.
They don’t need to be monumental wins, just positive things you did.
This helps you see how you are progressing with a positive mindset and it helps you to go to bed thinking positively too.
#16. Set Goals
The first step in manifesting your dreams is setting an intention for what you want to achieve. Write down a list of attainable goals and create actionable steps that will lead to their completion.
Set smaller goals that will help get you closer to the main objective, but remember to keep them realistic and achievable within a certain timeline.
#17. Visualize Success
Visualization is a valuable tool when trying to boost motivation and confidence.
Spend time each day visualizing yourself surrounded by the positive outcomes that come along with achieving your goals.
This will help you stay focused and inspired on your journey while creating a greater sense of purpose in what you’re doing.
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Jon Dulin is the passionate leader of Unfinished Success, a personal development website that inspires people to take control of their own lives and reach their full potential. His commitment to helping others achieve greatness shines through in everything he does. He’s an unstoppable force with lots of wisdom, creativity, and enthusiasm – all focused on helping others build a better future. Jon enjoys writing articles about productivity, goal setting, self-development, and mindset. He also uses quotes and affirmations to help motivate and inspire himself. You can learn more about him on his About page.