A positive disposition

Sometimes it feels like we enjoy being unhappy. Something comforting about wallowing in self-pity. Woe is me. How much better and more fulfilling our lives would be if we focused more on the positive things happening in and around our lives. I came up with a list of ten things we can do to have a more positive outlook on life. Take heed.

1. Smile - you'd probably be surprised to hear that I don't really like smiling. I prefer to smile with my eyes, not with my teeth. Every once in a while, I'll come across something that makes me smile. Today, it was a picture of a baby girl giving her father a sloppy wet kiss. It melted my heart and I genuinely smiled (with my eyes). However you like to smile, do it. Instant mood changer.
2. Pray for someone - sometimes when you feel down and out about your situation, you want to vent to God with your "why me" speech. Stop it. Pray on behalf of someone else's situation. There's a blessing in praying for others. Intercede.
3. Find a solution - your car broke down? Take the bus. Your boyfriend mistreats you? Leave him. You've been feeling sluggish? Change your diet. Instead of complaining about your situation, look for solutions to remedy it.
4. Take deep breaths - if you're any where as dramatic as I can be sometimes, you'll turn some situations into soap operas. Stop it. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and focus.
5. Say something good - a friend of mine always says to me, "tell me something good". It kinda frustrated me because I'm someone who does 50 million things at once with twice as many thoughts running through my mind. I never have time to reflect on the good things happening to me throughout the day. Yet, if he asked me what was wrong about my day, I wouldn't hesitate to answer. Make it a conscious effort to focus on the positive and eliminate the negative things in your life.
6. Surround yourself with positive people - it's a no-brainer that positive people give off great energy. No one wants to be around a Negative Nancy. Feed off of the positive energy and make it your own.
7. Do a good deed - Christmas is right around the corner. This means charitable opportunities abound to make a difference. Go caroling at an orphanage or nursing home. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
8. Go easy on yourself - quit it with the negative self-talk. We all make mistakes. No point in dwelling on them. Figure out what you can learn from it and move on.
9. Make a gratitude list - we take the simplest things for granted, like being able to open our eyes every morning. What can you be grateful for today? Need help? Here are 60 things.
10. Sing off-key, on purpose - nothing brings me more joy than randomly singing obnoxiously loud. I mean, no one can out-sing me in a Beyonce tune. NO ONE. :D

Happy Monday.