How do you see the lighter side of life?
Do you know any six-year-olds? If you do, then you might want to consult them for some life lessons on happiness or seeing the lighter side of life.
The average six-year-old laughs an average of 300 times a day! They see humour in everything. Adults, meanwhile, laugh an average of 17 times a day. We take life way too seriously.
But there are exceptions to this rather grim statistic. Each one of us knows that one rare person who can laugh at anything life throws their way. That person who not only makes lemonade from the lemons life gives them but who does it with a smile.
There is no benefit in worrying over future events that may never take place or even over a current unpleasant situation that will soon pass. Choosing to take control of our lives is the only way that we can transform a negative situation or outcome into one that is positive.
Even though not all of us may be used to seeing the lighter side of life’s adversities, the following five tips will help get most of us started.
1. Ask yourself how the most optimistic person you know would see or deal with this situation
When something unpleasant happens, step into someone else’s shoes so you can see the situations from a different viewpoint. How would your optimistic friend approach the situation? What would they say? What can you use that will help your current situation?
2. Surround yourself with positivity
Take control of your environment by surrounding yourself with positive people and events. Eventually you will be that positive person that others want to be with. Start by feeding your mind a positive diet. Perhaps read the news just once a day since the media mostly reports on negative events. Or post positive affirmations on your fridge, in your car or even on your bathroom mirror. Or just hang out with a six-year-old!
Also read: Why We Should Laugh More
3. Choose your reaction to adversity
Unpleasant things happen to all of us. We cannot control that but we can choose our reaction to these events. Start by disassociating yourself from the emotion that arises from the event and focus only on the facts. This technique will help keep your emotions and reactions in check, which will also help you reach a better solution faster.
Also read: 4 Traits Of Resilient People
4. Learn from the event
No adversity is without its learning as long as we are open to it. So when you find yourself in a negative situation, ask yourself what positive learnings you can take from it that you can use in the future. There will always be a positive side to every situation if we want and are willing to look for it.
5. Take yourself 10 years forward
What will you see when you look back at all these adversities 10 years from now? Will you be able to laugh at your predicament back then? If so, then why wait 10 years? Laugh at it now!
