Shortcut to Success

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

https://pixnio.com/people/children-kids/happy-child-finds-joy#What if I told you there was a way to be happier and more successful… and it’s something everyone can do?  And what if I told you there’s science to back up my claim?

Well, after reading the book Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson (http://a.co/d/0HyX6rL), I can tell you that’s indeed the case.  Fredrickson cites a meta-analysis of nearly 300 different scientific studies of positivity, which collectively tested more than 275,000 people, and concluded that increasing positive attitudes actually causes success.

Fredrickson also provides some dramatic examples of people who turned their lives around from being depressed and “in a rut” to being happy and successful.  Positivity was even shown to bring about improvements in blood pressure, headaches and insomnia!

I recommend reading the book, but if you want to increase your positivity right now, here are some things you can do:

  • Find your positivity ratio: Go to Fredrickson’s site http://www.positivityratio.com/index.php and do the online quiz to find your ratio of positive to negative feelings.
  • Dispute negative thoughts: Pay attention to your negative thoughts and dispute them, like a lawyer would. Examine the facts.  Do they support your negative feelings?  In most cases, you’ll find your negative feelings do not have a factual basis.
  • Meditate: Fredrickson cites the Open Heart study, where positivity brought about really impressive results. The group of co-workers in the study increased their positive feelings by doing “loving-kindness meditation” on a regular basis.  See a description of loving-kindness meditation here: https://www.mindful.org/a-loving-kindness-meditation-to-boost-compassion/
  • Make gratitude a regular part of your life: It sounds corny, but study after study have shown that focusing on what you’re grateful for produces real improvements in your life.  I’ve started doing the following to fall asleep at night: I review my day and think about the things that happened that day that I’m grateful for.  Not only will you fall asleep with a smile on your face, you’ll realize that Murphy’s Law isn’t true – it just seems to be true because people focus on negative events!

I hope these steps work as well for you as they did for me.  Let me know!