“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller
In a world riddled with downturns and chaos, it is difficult to maintain positivity. The world is designed to always dampen your positive energy and good vibes. But you should not let this happen. You should always maintain a positive attitude at all times. Without positivity, hope, and faith, we lose the zest and zeal to journey through life.
We are still recovering from the impact of Covid-19. We have questioned if our lives and the world would ever return to normalcy. These questions, while valid, should not make us despair.
So this article is a message of hope to you. The inspirational quotes, motivational quotes, good vibes quotes, and life quotes are not just statements I curated to make you feel good. They are uplifting words meant to inspire you and remind you of how strong you are. I will use them to show you why you need to maintain positivity, and how to do it.
Why you need to be positive
1. “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” — Zig Ziglar
Positive thinking consists of hope, faith, encouragement, and optimism. These provide you with the good energy required to forge ahead. Negative thinking saps your mental and emotional energy, which will later manifest physically. Once you get it wrong in your mind, you will get it wrong in other aspects. Your mind is the powerhouse of your being. So never allow negativity to penetrate it.
2. “A negative mind will never give you a positive life.” — Buddha
The current state of your life is the sum of your actions. And your actions are a product of your thoughts. If you maintain negative thoughts, then you will take negative actions. And you will live a life devoid of happiness and fulfillment. So be positive at all times. What you might need when you are at crossroads may be a little positivity. You would be surprised at the actions you would be inspired to take. Positivity opens your mind to see solutions you might not have seen before.
3. “A positive mind finds opportunity in everything. A negative mind finds faults in everything.“ — Unknown
Sometimes, success is not a result of hard work; it is a result of the opportunity you seize. When your mind is crowded with the fruits of negativity — fear, discouragement, pessimism — you will never take advantage of the opportunities around you. Only a positive mind would see opportunities even in times of adversity.
This brings to mind the story of Zeno the Citium, the founder of Stoicism. He was a merchant who suffered a shipwreck and lost almost everything. But because of the shipwreck, he met philosophers in Athens who taught him philosophy. For him, the shipwreck gave him a prosperous voyage.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill
That’s the power of a positive mind. It gives you the power to see opportunities and blessings even in adverse circumstances.
4. “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” — Willie Nelson
Whether you are a business owner, politician, athlete, or whatever endeavor you find yourself in, people are only drawn to your results. If you want to make a positive impact in the world, have positive results. But you can only produce positive results when you have positive thoughts. Your mind is your essence. Your mind is like a tree, your actions are fruits. A bad tree cannot give good fruits. Similarly, A negative mind cannot take positive actions that would yield positive results.
5. “Don’t let your fears take the place of your dreams.” — Walt Disney
Negativity can thwart your life’s vision. And what is a person without vision?
Fear can cripple your vision of owning a business.
Discouragement can kill your goal of having a healthy and fit body.
Self-doubt can erase your dream of financial freedom.
So instead of negativity killing your vision, counter it with a positive mindset. Always remind yourself that many are counting on your positive vision. They need you as an inspiration, a support system, a person sent to uplift their spirits. Do not fail them.
6. “An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of the superior personality.” — Brian Tracy
Remind yourself of who you are. You are strong. You are superior. Holding on to negativity means letting yourself down. Let the good side of life always resonate with you. Be positive at all times. Set positive goals. Have positive expectations. Anticipate positive results.
How to build positivity
1. “Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” — Dalai Lama
The beginning of anything is important. The foundation of a building is the most vital aspect of the building. A fetus needs optimal care if a new human being must emerge into the world. The vision and core values instituted at the start of the business would sustain it all through its life.
Morning is the beginning of your day. How you start your morning can make a big difference to your entire day. Your morning can make or mar your day. So, begin the day with positivity. A good morning would lead to a good day. Speak words of affirmation to yourself. These words should not depend on the circumstances around you. Whether good or bad, stay positive.
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” — William James
2. “Don’t let the negativity given to you by the world disempower you. Instead give to yourself that which empowers you.” — Les Brown
Know this: The world would always throw negativity at you. You don’t have to do anything wrong to experience natural disasters (e.g. Covid-19, earthquakes, fires), economic meltdowns, social pathologies (racism, gender inequalities), and personal adversities (failed business, chronic sickness, loss of a loved one). But never allow these experiences to break you.
Build your strength from within. You are stronger than you think. When the world throws negativity to disempower you, you should disempower negativity with your strength. The world is already filled with negativity. You owe the world the duty to infuse it with hope and strength and life. This will do good to not just you but to your fellow human being.
3. “When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective.” — Harvey Mackay
Shape your perspectives. Staying positive or negative depends on your outlook on life. By seeing the bright side of life, you constantly fuel yourself to overcome difficulties. Conversely, if you always see the gloomy side of life, you drain yourself of the needed mental, emotional and physical energy to win the battles of life. So shape your perspective. See the beauty of life even in the little things — the orange glow of the rising sun, the delightful chirps of birds, the sweeping waves of the sea, the regal swaying of trees. Understand that you are in the world to add to this beauty; not to subtract from it.
4. “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Make a decision to be happy always. This should be your only goal. Every other thing stems from it.
A happy person would seek ways to still establish their business, even when it is difficult to do so.
A happy person would never give up on achieving the healthy and fit body they desire.
A happy person would not attach their happiness or worth to wealth, even as they aim to be financially free.
5. “Protect your enthusiasm from the negativity of others.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr
Surround yourself with positive people. Do not underestimate the power of negativity. When you are around the wrong people, it wouldn’t be long before you start to think and behave like them.
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” — Oscar Wilde
Your mind is the core of your life, so protect it at all costs. Negativity is like a virus; once it gets a hold of one aspect of your life, it replicates itself in every other area. Do not let this happen.
“Distance yourself from negative people who try to lower your motivation and decrease your ambition. Create space for positive people to come into your life. Surround yourself with positive people who believe in your dreams, encourage your ideas, support your ambitions, and bring out the best in you.” — Roy T. Bennett
6. “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” — Lyndon B. Johnson
Do not open yourself to regrets. Actually, regret is a waste of time. It takes you back to the events of the past and prevents you from achieving what you need to acheive with your present. The past is gone. You have today to shape your tomorrow. And you can only fashion out a beautiful tomorrow for yourself with the strength of positivity.
7. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey
Finally, be thankful. Be thankful for life. Be thankful for the gift of family. Be thankful for your friends. Be thankful for your dreams. Be thankful for love. Be thankful for the opportunity to try again. Be thankful for the strength to never give up. Be thankful for everything. Be thankful.
Live a balanced life. Do not think life has nothing good to offer you, even when it looks that way. The words of Walt Disney should be your motto: “I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”