There a few things in life that are taken for granted. Those simple things mark you and help you live a better life. You claim to be positive about life, but do you consider the small things which shape your optimistic way of living? We at Srishti Gifts promote happy giving and living and hence we have made a list of positive ‘to-do’s’ to make your life happier.

  1. Start spending time with the right people.

Be in the company of people you love, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways because they are the ones who make you feel more alive and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be.

  1. Start facing your problems head on.

It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them. Problems will not disappear unless you take action.  Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.  It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction.

  1. Start being honest with yourself about everything.

Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest with every aspect of your life. You are the one person you can forever count on.

  1. Start making your own happiness a priority.

Your needs matter.  If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself. Once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.

  1. Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly.

Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are.  Be yourself. Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms.

  1. Start noticing and living in the present.

Right now is a miracle. Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life. So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future. Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.

  1. Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.

Mistakes are okay, they’re the stepping stones of progress. If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning.  Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again.  Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving. One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.

  1. Start creating your own happiness.

If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out. Choose happiness. Be the change you want to see in the world.  Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow.  Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it.  If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it.  But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too.

  1. Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance.

In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance.It’s about taking a chance. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be, either you succeed or you learn something.

  1. Start believing that you’re ready for the next step.

You are ready!  Think about it.  You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic step forward.  So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow.

  1. Start giving new people you meet a chance.

It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made. People and priorities change. As some relationships fade others will grow.  Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work. Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.

  1. Start competing against an earlier version of yourself.

Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time. You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself.  You are competing to be the best you can be.  Aim to break your own personal records.

  1. Start cheering for other people’s victories.

Start noticing what you like about others and tell them. Having an appreciation for how amazing the people around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places.  So be happy for those who are making progress.  Cheer for their victories. What goes around comes around, and sooner or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you.

  1. Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations.

When things are hard, and you feel down, take a few deep breaths and look for the silver lining – the small glimmers of hope.  Remind yourself that you can and will grow stronger from these hard times. And remain conscious of your blessings and victories – all the things in your life that are right.  Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.

  1. Start forgiving yourself and others.

We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others. And while the pain of these experiences is normal, sometimes it lingers for too long.  We relive the pain over and over and have a hard time letting go. Forgiveness is the remedy.  It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.

  1. Start helping those around you.

Care about people. Guide them if you know a better way. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you. Love and kindness begets love and kindness.

  1. Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks.

Slow down.  Breathe.  Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose. When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity. These short breaks will help you regain your sanity and reflect on your recent actions so you can be sure they’re in line with your goals.

  1. Start being more open about how you feel.

If you’re hurting, give yourself the necessary space and time to hurt, but be open about it.  Talk to those closest to you.  Tell them the truth about how you feel. Let them listen. The simple act of getting things off your chest and into the open is your first step toward feeling good again.

  1. Start concentrating on the things you can control.

You can’t change everything, but you can always change something.  Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation. Invest your energy in the things you can control, and act on them now.

  1. Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes.

The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually doing it.  The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.  Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.  Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take the next positive step forward.  No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things.  Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.