Being Positive can Make you Happier

Do you think you are a positive person? How?

What things can you do to be more positive?

A positive body and mind will make a positive spirit. But how do we know that? People are different, and their ways to getting a positive attitude can be different too. However, there are some common things in how to make a positive mind.

Here is one tip. Stop listening to others and listen more to yourself. For example, we are told that successful people wake up early. But that’s not always true for everybody. Instead, the most successful people follow one simple thing - they do what’s best for themselves.

If you’re someone who gets his or her best work done at night, then do it at night. If you feel like exercising before work, then do that, too. If you like to play heavy metal music in your office to help you concentrate, then that’s good too. But of course your coworkers may not feel positive about that.

Doing what is best for you will make you feel less guilty about doing what others say is best for you.  And it will also give you a feeling of flexibility and freedom about how you can do your best. As we already know, productivity is one of the most vital parts of positivity.

Practice patience

There is a cliche that says that “patience is a virtue. “ But it needs a lot of patience to achieve that. One of the first things to do is to try to keep calm. This may sound easy, but it is not. We worry a lot about trivial things. So, instead, follow the advice you've always heard a lot.  Ask for help from your friends. Concentrate on your breathing and being happy about what you have. Another good way is to put things in perspective.  For example, if the thing you want does not happen; then will everything still be okay? The answer is probably yes.

Cover your bases.

This might seem easy to say, but so many people forget. These are the things you’ve been told since you were a kid. There are things such as getting enough sleep, eating right, being active and putting yourself into a good living situation.

Dream big.

One of the final pieces of advice is that while positive thinking on a daily basis is important, it's important to make sure your head isn’t too far up in the clouds. Dreaming about your future can be one of the greatest things to motivate you.  But be careful not to spend too much time worrying about what can go wrong. So be kind to yourself. And be someone that does (does or achieves things) and not just talks or thinks.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=3, B=1, C=8,D=2, E=7, F=4, G=6, H=5

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1.       The student asked me to be flexible about the time because she would be late.

2.      It is vital that you take warm clothes, New York is very cold in January.

3.      It is a cliché to say these people are always late, but they seem to do it every time.

4.      One of the virtues of a mother is that she cares strongly.

5.      You need to be at the test on time, this is not a trivial test.

6.      We worry about too many small things. So knowing that health is more important than money helps us to put things into perspective.

7.      We are going camping tomorrow, so we need to cover all bases by preparing for all kinds of weather.

8.      She has her head up in the clouds, she thinks she will pass this course, but she is absent too much.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1.      Do you think that you are a flexible person? Why or why not?

2.      If you want to succeed in your job or study, then what things are vital?

3.      What clichés are there in your culture about happiness?

4.      What virtues do you look for in a boy or girlfriend?

5.      Do you worry about trivial things? If you do, then how can you change?

6.      Think of some examples of how you can put things into perspective in your life?

7.      Are you an organized person? Do you cover all bases when preparing for a job interview, meeting, or some other important event?

8.      Describe someone that has their head up in the clouds.