How can we stay optimistic and hopeful in the face of bad news every where we look? Newscasts, papers, magazines, the Internet – all sources of largely negative content. And this is not to mitigate the fact that there are some real issues out there. Most of us know someone who has lost their job, or are in danger of losing their home, or someone who is gravely ill. It can be overwhelming. How do we focus on the good and choose to remain positive? How can we resist the strong pull of negativity? How can we focus on those things that make us (and others) happy? And more importantly, how can we put our intentions into action? There are hundreds of ways, yet we overlook so many due to their simplicity. Let’s start with just ten ways to stay positive, or help others stay positive:

1. Listen to music you like! Don’t just have the radio on, but really listen. With intent. And choose songs that make you feel good, whether it’s the lyrics or the rhythms, enjoy it!
2. Set a short term and a long term goal. What have you always thought about doing, but have never done? There’s always an excuse! Make it happen and share your experiences with others! Lift them up, along with yourself!
3. Make time for what’s truly important to you. Tune the rest of the world out, and immerse yourself in this experience. This can be as simple as giving your child some uninterrupted play time for an hour (without your BlackBerry on your hip) or taking your dog for a walk.
4. Show appreciation. And mean it.
5. Volunteer.
6. Three simple words: chocolate chip cookies. Now that should make everyone happy!
7. When is the last time you read a book – for pleasure? Read! Books are designed to either make us think or to help us escape and enjoy the experience. Libraries are free!
8. Have discipline. What? When you have discipline in your life, things happen. Positive things. And order reigns over chaos. Order leads to peace, and peace is positive! So that run that you dread every day (and many days don’t do), make it part of your every day routine, and you will feel better, and that will effect your life positively in more ways than you can count.
9. Chose to remain positive. Choose to have hope over fear. It is a choice. Make it count.
10. Write a letter, an old fashioned snail-mail letter, and actually mail it! Share a positive story, a memory, a joke, or a (positive!) newspaper article. People love getting “real” mail!

So now, make your own list! And DO it! Don’t just make a list to make a list (I would never do that – okay, so maybe I have). Really put your intentions into action! And if you come up with other ways to stay positive, I would love to hear about them and share more on my next blog. The choice it yours – you can have a great day, or you can let yourself get sucked into the fear and negativity. And if all else fails, go buy those cupcakes or that fried chicken you’ve been craving – knock yourself out! Being positive can be tough some days! You deserve it, sunshine!