“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Improving your attitude and living a more positive life overall can take a lot of time and effort. But a part of it can also be simple. You can spread positivity around you with small actions.
This will not only make you and other people feel better today. Over time you tend to get what you give. You will make it easier for yourself to live a more positive life in the long run too.
- Smile. Smiling puts you and the people around you into a more positive mood. It even works when you don’t feel much like smiling. Just try forcing a smile for 30 seconds if you are feeling a bit negative and see what happens.
- Give a genuine compliment. Compliments are awesome. But make it a genuine one. Make sure you really mean it or it may have the opposite effect as your insincerity shines through. Find something a bit unexpected – like great taste in old soul music rather than looks – and something that is important to the other person and make a positive, appreciative comment about that.
- Hugs. A hug is, just like smiling, a simple physical thing that can make anyone feel a little better. People love hugs.
- Encourage someone. There is much discouragement in the world. You may hear from people around you, you may receive much negativity from the TV and newspapers. Many will back down from doing something they want because of that outer atmosphere of discouragement. So instead, be an exception and encourage people to believe in themselves and what they want to do.
- Change the way you feel. Emotions are contagious. So to spread positivity, know how you can create and sustain a positive attitude and optimistic mood. Know how to pick yourself up out of slumps. Besides smiling, you can also appreciate life more, change your physiology, act as you would like to feel, ask better questions and recall positive memories to make a quick emotional shift. Read all about those things in this article.
- Help someone out in practical way. Maybe it’s not encouragement that is needed. Maybe it’s a practical solution. So lend someone a hand when they are moving. Or give them a ride in your car. Or if they need information, try to find a solution via Google or by asking the people you know.
- Just listen. Sometimes people don’t want any help. They just want to vent or for someone to listen as they figure out things. It may not seem like much but it can be an immense help for someone who needs it.
- Put things into perspective. It’s easy to get wrapped up in problem and make a mountain out of a molehill. But you can help out by adding your perspective. The two of you can talk about it, perhaps laugh about it and even find the hidden opportunity within the problem that in one person’s head may have almost seemed like the sky was falling.
- Play positive music. Uplifting music is of course a great way to boost your own mood. You can do the same for people around you. Put on a really positive song when you are hanging out. Or send them an uplifting playlist for Spotify or some other music program.
- Perform a random act of kindness. Just holding up the door or pointing out the way for someone who seems lost can be a way to spread a little bit of positivity. It’s always nice when someone you don’t even know does something kind for you.
- Pay it forward. If a friend or stranger spreads a bit of positivity to you then in some way pay it forward. Spread the positivity on to another person and let an upward spiral of positivity grow and expand in your world.
Feel free to chime in the comments and add your simple tip(s) for adding more positivity to the world today.
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What a great post!!
I’m all about spreading positivity and these are some excellent ways to do it!
Good stuff, and a great way to start my day. Thanks.
Hi,
Simple yet effective steps. My top one is Smile. I found it has a wonderfully calming effect on others and a lifting effect on me
My simple tip is to Enjoy the Journey and be in the mind frame of “how is this good for me”. Whatever happens it’s good for me because I’ll gain a gift, learn a lesson or both! Either way I’m moving forward with my life and not dwelling in StandStill station.
Great blog by the way. Keep it up Henrik. I’ve already shared some of your previous ones.
I’m going to go with “just listen” today.
It matches my other intention to practice “breathe, stretch, relax.”
Just listening is a great way of letting go AND giving a gift to another person. Instead of being in my head thinking about what I need to be doing, etc, I’m going to just BE with whomever I’m with and listen to what they have to say.
Henrik – I like all of your suggestions. Honestly the best way is to simply help someone if you want to “spread positivity” as you say. It takes very little to do this. At work one thing I regularly do is to thank people I work with for the effort they put in. It is amazing how meaningful people find this especially in today’s work environment.
This is a terrific list! I particularly like the one about smiling even when you don’t feel like it. For a moment or two you feel a bit deranged. But you’re right – it’s impossible not to feel uplifted when you’re smiling. Thanks!
Encouragement of others is one I’ve always struggled with but I’ll try it today. It seems like a block.
Hi Hendrik .. I’d just add .. leave the house happy, with positive thoughts – so you don’t have to adjust when you meet someone – be ready to spread a smile, good word, pat on the back as a congratulations …
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
Great post. Imagine how much of a better day you can have if you are focusing on this list instead of all the many other things that can continually run through your mind. It’s all about where we put our focus and if we are focusing on things like you listed above, the day just unfolds all that much better.
I know have experienced every single one of the above things myself. When I did, it just felt so great and the day got brighter and I felt energized for the rest of the day!
I do the best that I can to make others feel better throughout the day, but the toughest thing in doing that is not to get attached to negative emotions that other people are experienced. That can be a real downer.
Besides that, just being there for others can be a real help
Thanks for sharing these!
Best,
Tomas
This is so great! Wonderful advice
I think that both reaching out to encourage another person, as well as playing positive music have been two very helpful ways for me to spread positivity to myself and others. I would also add that writing down 5-10 items daily of what you are grateful for will contribute volumes to your positivity levels.
It’s always amazing how people change when you change your attitude towards people. These tips seem to be about changing your state to effect others.
Cheers,
Clinton Skakun
My favorite is the last one. I like to give when people least expect it. I like to give to those who deserve it the least.
“Just listen” has a deep resonance for me, too. Very often, we are so compelled to say something that we do not listen the whole sentence. There was a quote in the “Touch” film about that: “How do you manage to get on well with EVERYBOODY?/I simple listen to them, instead of thinking what I am going to say next” (I quote by heart, obviously).
Great post
My favorite suggestion you made is to help someone in a practical way. What a great way to show via action kindness along with the willingness to provide a helping hand….especially when there is nothing in it for you.
As always, thanks for another great post.
Yeah! Great quick and simple things to begin our positive days.
Just give as if you were the recipient without wanting anything in return except (maybe) hearing the other person say ThankYou
Hi Henrik!
Great feel-good post!
You’re the blogging chief so I was wondering if you could take a look at my latest blog called Bob Versus The Meaning of Life. I tried to make it similarly feel-good. It features youtubes geriatric1927 giving his thoughts.
Would be great if you could give it your blogging blessing!
http://bobversus.com/archives/432
Nice way to start the day.
Great article Henrik! I decided to write on How to Keep on Smiling today on my blog at http://www.LookingForMyLife.com
I linked and referenced this entry of yours.
Great mashup on ways to improve other’s lives! If more people focused on adding value to others the world would be a much brighter place. I like that you added hugs! Haha, hugs are for the win.
http://www.colbycheeze.com – Personal Development Kung Fu
Henrik:
How AWESOME it is to find and follow another blogger – especially one as experienced as you – that I am in total alignment with! I cherish your examples and vision. You can NEVER spread the power of positive thinking and energy enough, and I’m grateful that you’ve become a mentor to me…in appreciation, I’ve left you a gift at my site! PEACE!!!
Not only is this post good, but it is good that you are making an effort to help people realize positives in their life and how to increase them!
That’s a wonderful and very positive list! I think I could add one more tip: share only positive news with people around you. When we watch TV, talk to our friends and relatives, read news, listen to the radio we tend to pick up too much negative information that later on we spread onto people around us. My rule is not to talk about negative news with my friends and family (of course if it is something highly important then you can’t get out out of it. that’s just life) I listen to positive news and share positive news and I think that it makes people around me look at the world more positively
Great post! I also find, for myself, that just a good deep breath can really turn things around. So often, I find that I’m racing through my life – both mentally and physically – which wreaks havoc on my positive thinking! Taking a deep breath and stopping to acknowledge the life around me can definitely help me feel more positive, and in turn, spread positivity
What a great idea, that we should go through our day thinking of ways to make other people happy.
The first item reminds me of my grandmother, who always told me the same thing. When you’re feeling down, force your mouth into the shape of a smile, even if you have to hold it up with your fingers at the corners of your mouth, and then you will start to feel happier.
This never actually worked for me. Baring my teeth in a full fake smile and trying to pretend I am happy when I am not does not make me feel a bit better. But to this day, every time I try it, the absurdity of the action reminds me of my very dear grandmother making silly faces to cheer me up when I got sad as a child, and THAT always makes me smile, for real–so actually, it does work.
Norma Joy’s latest blog post: Clowning Around Your Embarrassing Moments
http://www.womanbehappier.com/clowning-around-your-embarrassing-moments
Nice insight on the hug tip… I’ve been working on being more huggable – it’s amazing how quickly a good hug will build a connection with the other person!
Also at the smile… sometimes I laugh at people who just look so miserable. It’s terrible, but they’re standing in line to get groceries for example, and they look like they’re at a funeral! Don’t be a frowner.
That’s okay as long as you don’t laugh at people at a funeral…they can be very touchy!
Seriously though, I try and be as positive as possible at all times but I didn’t use to be that way. Just little things like saying a friendly hello or holding doors open for people make you feel better and hopefully they cheer the people up you’re interacting with too.
Hi! I’m an international student in the United States! During my first semester, I’ve been having a hard time here. It’s a whole new world for me and there’s not many people from my country studies in my school. but yeah, lately I’ve been having LOTS OF FUN!
and it’s all about being positive! and really, your points hit well! 