Negative Actions? Change for the Better

Take responsibility for your thoughts and actions. You alone are in control of  your life and many of the negative situations and negative thoughts you harbor are influenced directly by you. By taking responsibility for your actions, you can begin to remove negativity in your life and create positivity.

Negative thoughts cultivate negative actions. If you decide to have a positive attitude, you’ll cultivate positive changes.

For example, if you are passed over for a promotion at work, it is not because your boss doesn’t like you and probably related to your work performance. Instead of blaming your boss, talk to him about how you can improve at your job and actively make these changes.

List negative things in your life and begin to change them. Acknowledging what is negative in your life will allow you to see what you can control and change. Burn the list to symbolize letting go of negativity. On a piece of paper, list anything in your life that you consider negative. Read the list and check off what you can change. For example, you can change negative relationships with others by removing them from your life or you can change bad finances by taking steps to save money.

Once you’ve thought about how to change the negative influences in your life, burn the paper to symbolize letting go and write a new list with positive things in your life.

Forgive yourself and others. Holding grudges and dwelling on your imperfections will only emphasize a negative attitude. Being able to forgive and let go will allow you to focus on the positive in yourself and others.

The act of forgiveness will remove negative attitudes and create space for positive attitudes. But it will also decrease stress and increase peace and calm in your life.

Limit or remove negative people from your life. The people with whom we surround ourselves have a significant impact on our attitudes. Limiting or removing negative people from your life will start helping you change your attitude.

If you can’t remove a person from your life entirely, or you don’t want to hurt him, you can limit your exposure to him. You can also counteract his negative attitudes and viewpoints by pointing out the positive in what he says or does. This way, you don’t get drawn down his negative path.

Respond to change. Negative emotions often accompany change and the best way to handle change is to respond and not react to it. Make the decision to respond positively in every situation and you’ll be able to keep negativity at bay.

You can’t control all situations or people, but you can choose how you’ll respond to them. Meeting a negative situation or person with positivity will keep your attitude positive and may also result in a positive resolution to anything.

For example, if someone sends you a nasty email, don’t react to it immediately. Draft a response and wait 24 hours to send it. Revisit the email the next day and you will likely tone down your response, which can keep a situation from escalating.

If something bad happens, such as losing your job, thank your employer for the opportunity and say “this is a change to find something better that I truly love.”

Keep moving forward. You’ll occasionally have negative thoughts, which is normal and acceptable, but learn not to dwell on them. By always moving towards the positive, you will be able to change your negative attitude