“A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.” – Anonymous

Why do so many people have such a negative attitude when they get older? Remember the Grumpy Old Men movies. It happens to women too.

It seems to be so easy to fall into the “woe-is-m” trap and see everything from a bleak and hopeless perspective. Sure our health may not be the best. Of course our bodies are not what they used to be. And, yes we don’t have the energy we once had. But, this doesn’t mean that our world has to be negative and dismal.

We don’t have to view everything with such a “how bad can it get” attitude. This perspective on life puts us into a negative state of mind, but, we can easily change this by nurturing a positive attitude.

Smile research, as reported by Scientific American, has found that if you smile and pretend to be happy, you actually become happy. Does this mean we can control our emotions? Maybe it also means we can influence our feelings.

For instance, if we see the cup half empty, we will be encouraging ourselves to see our life emptying, with things not working out. We will easily find fault in everything. But if we see the cup as half full, this will point us towards filling it up. We will see the possible, the potential, and this could help us believe that things can be good. We will be nurturing a positive attitude towards our lives and everything around us.

What gives us a negative attitude? Is it too many problems, not enough resources – money, time, space, etc. – a load of disappointments, fear of the unknown, the list goes on.

So what if things become difficult? Becoming negative won’t help us handle our frustrations and it sure won’t make them go away.

Remember that old saying “misery loves company.” This means that your negative attitude could attract other negative people into your life. Is this what you want? Do you like being miserable, vulnerable and depressed? Of course not!

Here are 7 reasons why having a positive attitude can improve your life:

Relieve Your Stress

We are not stressed when we have positive thoughts. Stress is brought on by conflict, confusion, frustration, and the inability to resolve problems, to name a few of the major stress triggers.

By seeing things positively, we are managing our stress and mitigating all the mental and physical consequences that stress can cause such as high blood pressure, eating disorders, and heart problems, to name a few.

Promote Your Good Health

When we look at the world from a positive stance we are relaxed, calm and able to sleep at night, as we aren’t fraught with worry. Sleep research has confirmed that having a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to maintain good health.

Find Solutions to Your Problems

Trying to figure out a problem can be nerve-racking and stressful. Having a positive attitude will keep you relaxed and allow your mind the freedom to find new, creative and unique ideas to solve your problems. You’ll feel that you have power over your circumstances, instead of them having power over you.

Positive People Will Be Attracted to You

If you project a positive attitude, people will be there for you as a positive attitude attracts others; the same way a negative one repels them from interacting with you. When people are positive about their lives, they attract and engage others with a similar attitude.

This promotes friendship and the sharing of experiences and ideas. The input from others could help you see your life from a new solution-based perspective.

Others May be Annoying, But Not You

It’s so annoying when people apologize for their bad behaviour. We’ve all heard the excuses: “Sorry I was such a bitch the other day, I’d had a bad night”, “Sorry I wasn’t listening, I have too many problems”, “Sorry I missed your party, I wasn’t in a party mood that day”.

Don’t you just want to push that “magic button” and make these people go away? Their negative attitude is causing their annoying behavior. Wouldn’t it be nice if they just stopped apologizing and just adopted a positive attitude so you could get back to the friendship that seems to be forever on hold?

You Will Make Better Decisions

We all make better decisions when we are relaxed. Having a positive outlook is calming and relaxing. This gives us the opportunity to better analyze, assess and think about things, which in turn will give us the ability to make better and well thought out decisions.

A positive attitude is important for making good decisions.

You’ll Be Happier

We can’t be happy if we’re negative. Negativity makes us sad, frustrated, angry and often depressed, which is the opposite of being happy. Without negativity, you’ll be happy, feel great and look forward to what life has in store for you.

Having a positive attitude does not mean that you won’t have problems, or that things will always miraculously work out in your favour. Oh no, being positive doesn’t mean that.

But, it does mean that you’ll have a better chance of handling and dealing with life. And, you’ll feel so much better. You’ll attract other positive people and all of this positive energy around you could have a positive ripple effect in so many areas of your life.

Look for the good in everything, and if you can’t find it, look harder.

I always see the cup half full; I hope you do too.

It’s all good!

What do you do to stay positive? Do you agree that positivity is one of the most important attributes to cultivate in our 60s? Please join the conversation.