Being positive in your life, and having a positive attitude will give you energy and joy in your life. Being positive will improve your relationship with family members, friends and working partners.There is a growing volume of research that shows that staying positive will even improve your health; you can cope better with stress and with everyday situations. Staying positive can keep you from judging people and speaking in a negative manner. It also makes your life more fulfilled.

The following are a few ideas on how to stay positive in your life:

Treat people with kindness and respect. Everyone who you encounter should be valued and treated with courtesy. Acknowledge that they have feelings and their own perspective on life. They may be different then yours but they are also valid.

Avoid comparison, whether you are looking down at the people who have not mastered special strengths or up at people who may be more experienced or accomplished. Constantly comparing yourself keeps the focus on the other person instead of what you can do, want to do, and are good at doing. Look inside yourself and improve from there.

Take responsibility for your own work, actions and life. Don't pass the buck. Don't make excuses. Take responsibility; acknowledge a mistake, fix it and learn from it. Don't beat yourself up about the mistake, or hang onto past mistakes. Resolve them, own them and move forward.

Enjoy the little things that happen throughout your day—the compliment someone gave you, the insight you shared with family member or the big smile the spouse gave you when you came home. By recognizing your accomplishments, even if they seem small or routine, you are acknowledging a job well done.

Take notice of the people around you and thank them— family members, friends, working partners and other people you come in contact with each day. Acknowledge what they are contributing and don't take them for granted. Thank them for being there for you, thank them for their help, their value to the relationship and for a job well done.

Finally, attitude is everything. It is the lens that you look through to the experience of life and your reality. Take a look at your attitude. Are you positive or negative? Do you color everything with confidence and satisfaction or with fear and misguidance? How will your life change if you change your attitude and become more positive?

Remember, being positive will improve your relationship with family members, friends and working partners and finally—it will improve your life.
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Ben Gurion Matsas