How to start having a positive mindset? Why is a positive mindset important? And how does having a positive mindset help to overcome challenges? The answers are simple. Although some personal discipline will be required to have and utilize a positive mindset to overcome challenges. People with positive mindsets are happier people. And they attract more positive experiences into their lives. This is so because your mindset creates your reality. A positive mindset equates to more positive life experiences. A negative mindset equates to more negative life experiences. Fact! So not only does having a positive mindset help to keep challenges to a minimum, but the challenges you do face will not affect you as much because of the positive outlook you would have on life.

Another way of looking at this is from the ripple effect of our mindset or thoughts. For instance, limiting beliefs can hinder you from becoming successful in life. The way you view the world around you and your life experiences are directly related to your thoughts. As you manifest what you are and not just your desires. You, therefore, need to watch your thoughts, for they will surely become your words. Your words, in turn, will become your actions. While, your actions will become your habits, and your habits will become your character. Your character shapes your destiny. In this way, you co-create your own reality and thus having a positive mindset helps to overcome challenges in this way as you create what you are.

Using a positive mindset to help overcome challenges in everyday life?

Well, here are 13 ways to cultivate and have a positive mindset in order to overcome challenges life throws our way:

1. Listen to music that makes you feel good

Music does wonders for the soul. It can help set the tone for your mood and give you that positive mindset to attract more positivity into your life. So listen to happy, uplifting music, or simply music that gives you good vibes. Music that makes you feel good. In turn, this will aid in the cultivation of a positive mindset. For in Louis Armstrong’s words, “music is life itself.”

2. Keep a gratitude journal.

Count your blessings; name them one by one. No matter what you are going through, there is always something to be grateful for. And as long as you have breath, there is hope. And each new day brings with it a new opportunity for a fresh start. Gratitude is truly key to having a positive mindset, as a grateful heart cannot harbour negative vibes or energy.

Expressing your gratitude in writing is a way for you to acknowledge and appreciate what you have. You could write 5 or more things every day you are grateful for. Or you could do this every other day, whatever is convenient for you. Keeping a gratitude journal will help you focus more on the things that are going right in your life and the things you have. And focus less on the things that are not going so well or on things you do not have.

It has been said that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but rather, having a grateful heart that makes us happy. In essence, you should never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.

3. Have a good morning routine

For a positive mindset, have a great morning routine that sets the tone for the rest of your day. The more positive minded and productive it is, the more accomplished you will feel by the end of the day. So do things for yourself in the morning that makes you happy. Listen to your favourite playlist whilst you get ready for your day if you can. Make time to tell yourself that you will have a great day. Say some positive mantras.

Try to accomplish your major or more difficult tasks in the morning if you are a morning person. And whilst you are at it, share the positivity with those around you. Be kind to people, give honest compliments. Making someone else happy will even make you happier.

This, however, does not mean that you sacrifice your happiness for someone else, and that will magically make you happy. There has to be, as with all things, a healthy balance.

4. Consume positive media

What you consume does impact you, and a good part of the time, you may not even realise that you are being influenced by what you watch and listen to. It is similar to having a nightmare after watching a scary movie right before bed. In the same vein, when you consume a lot of negative media in the morning or any time of day, it impacts the rest of your day. This is not to say people should stay away from what is going on globally, but they have a healthy balance. Also, consume as much positive media as possible, as this helps give you positive thoughts and, thus, a positive mindset.

5. Consume healthier foods

Be mindful of what foods you consume, for you are literally what you eat. When you consume too many unhealthy goods or certain foods that do not generally agree with your body, it can adversely affect your physical and mental health. It can make you feel heavy on your feet, lethargic, and affect your mindset. And not in a positive way or in any way you would like.

You would most likely get short-lived gratification from eating unhealthy foods, as most of them are downright delicious, but THE gratification received will be short-lived. You would need to consume more and more unhealthy foods to recreate the soft lived gratification. And the unhealthy cycle would continue until you make a conscious decision to put an end to it.

You will definitely feel great physically and mentally when you consume healthier foods.

6. Exercise

When you are cooped up indoors or perhaps have a sedentary lifestyle or job, you tend not to move your body as much as you should. This makes you feel stiff, physically and otherwise, as your energy is stagnant. Exercise helps to relieve this stiffness and circulate your energy, improving your mood and making you feel lighter on your feet. You must have noticed how great you feel after a much-needed workout. The exercise required to improve your mood and mindset need not be very vigorous and prolonged. Just do what you are most comfortable with. And as time goes by and your comfort level increases, you can pick up the pace a little bit more. So to be clear, exercise helps in cultivating a positive mindset.

7. Make time to be alone

Gift yourself some alone time for self-reflection, self-development and growth. Spending time alone has so many benefits. It can help keep you centred and in the right frame of mind. Quality time alone can also help keep you in a positive mindset. As alone time replenishes your depleted energy, expelled in all the hassle of relating with other people. When you are alone, you are relaxed and free to do you. You are free from any obligation, as you do not need to please anybody. You can be one hundred per cent your authentic self. Read more here: Do you enjoy being alone? 10 Benefits to enjoying quality alone time. 

8. Be conscious of negativity

Being conscious of your energy or personal state of mind can aid you to have a positive mindset to help to overcome challenges. In other words, be conscious of the negative or undesirable thoughts you may have, observe and let them pass. Ensure that you do not feed into it. Dwelling in the negativity. Rather observe and move on to positive thoughts and activities. You can also practice daily energy cleaning to ensure you are housing positive energy. And a good way to start this is by setting the intention to cleanse your energy and let go or transmute any negative energy into positive energy.

9. Do something to make someone else happy

Sometimes taking a break from your own problems or challenges in life and helping someone else with theirs can really help you put things in perspective. You may realize that you are not alone and that other people are going through similar challenges if not worse. Helping someone else will make them happy and that will, in turn, make you happy and in a better headspace to solve your own challenges.

When you are happy, you are in a positive mindset. And the best way to be happy is to make someone else happy. Doing something to bring a smile to someone else’s face, without any expectation of anything back in return. This does so much more for the giver. The feeling is almost indescribable. You would honestly feel so good and want to continue to bring more smiles to people. So, doing something to make someone else happy is one way to have a positive mindset help to overcome challenges.

10. Send a kind or thoughtful message

To cultivate a positive mindset, you can send out kind or thoughtful messages to your friends and family. This will not only make you happier, but it will also help to nurture your relationships with others. You could even go as far as writing one to yourself, every now and then. Your messages could express how you appreciate the people in life and the positive impact they have had on you. Such messages will help to make the receiver’s day. And do not forget that what you send out into the universe is what you receive in return, so show kindness.

11. Be kind and think kindly of others

There are several ways to be kind to people, even the simple act of being polite. Saying please and thank you is an act of kindness. Being kind to people, especially those around you, will increase the positive energy around you. And make it easier for you to have and maintain a positive mindset, as people around would not have ill feelings towards you. Even if someone were to have ill thoughts towards you, the fact that your conscience is clear as you did nothing to offend them would obviously keep you in the right, maintaining your positive energy.

On the other hand, the right and kind thing to do, when you do offend people, is to apologise to them. It literally costs you nothing to say “I’m sorry.” It is honestly amazing how these simple yet powerful words are difficult for many people to say.

Furthermore, to keep a positive mindset, it is important to think kindly of others and wish them well. Your kind thoughts of others will translate into what you say about them and your actions towards them. This will increase the positive energy around you, and as aforementioned, when you are surrounded with positivity, it makes it a lot easier to have and keep a positive mindset.

Also note, that your actions always betray your thoughts, whether you realise it or not. So people who are very giving with no expectation of anything in return, who show kindness to others, usually possess a positive mindset. They know that we are all one. So when they are kind to someone else, they are inevitably kind to themselves. Not forgetting that it is more rewarding to give (show kindness) than to receive.

12. Pray For A Positive Mindset: To Have A Positive Mindset Help To Overcome Challenges.

Prayer is a good way to help you have a positive mindset. There are different ways to pray, and whichever works for you is just fine. Gratitude prayer is a great way to start. You can pray in your heart or out loud. Whatever you are most comfortable with is perfectly fine.  Irrespective of where you are in life, there is always something to be grateful for. For as long as you have breath, there is always hope. And as aforementioned, a grateful heart cannot harbour negative vibes.

You may be interested in reading more on 15 inspirational quotes to cultivate a positive mindset.

13. Meditate To Have A Positive Mindset To Help Overcome Challenges.

In order to have a positive mindset to help to overcome challenges, it is important to clear your mind and centre yourself. And that is where meditation comes in. Meditation embodies being present at the moment, free from judgment. There are different forms of meditation to choose from, such as progressive, spiritual, transcendental, mindfulness, movement and mantra meditation. Do whichever you are most comfortable with.

However, if perhaps “meditation” is not your thing, you could still accomplish the same results by taking some quality alone time to self reflect, sort through your thoughts and feelings, your goals in life, relationships, career and so on. Thus,

To help overcome challenges, you may also be interested in reading about some of the misconceptions about having a positive mindset. Having a positive mindset does not make one ignorant or oblivious to life’s harsh realities.