How to Be Positive and Not Doubtful

Self-doubt and negative thinking are destructive thought processes that can inhibit personal growth and achievement opportunities. If you doubt yourself and fall into negative thought patterns, you may be limiting yourself and keeping yourself from achieving your full potential as a friend, family member, significant other or employee. Developing a positive attitude takes concentration and may take some time before the desired effect is achieved. By working to create a more positive mind-set on a daily basis, you can help yourself grow and perform with a higher sense of self-confidence.

Instructions

• 1

  Make a commitment to being a positive thinker. Do not allow your doubtful thoughts to cover up your positive ones by actively identifying the negative thoughts and replacing them with positive thoughts. This may take several attempts before you are able to identify when you're thinking negatively, but actively monitoring your thoughts and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones will help you to eventually get in the habit of thinking more positively. Allowing yourself to get overwhelmed by doubtful thoughts about yourself and your life will damage your efforts to be more positive. If you feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts, write them down in a journal. Keeping a journal is an effective way to help you clarify your thoughts, reduce your stress load and make better sense of what it is that is making you feel doubtful. After keeping a journal for a while, you will be able to identify the triggers for your doubtful thoughts and develop ways to reduce or eliminate these triggers.

• 2

  Develop trust for others in your life. You do not need to trust someone right away, but allow yourself to open up to new people and accept new friendships and love into your life. Connecting with other people is an important way to stay positive and keep doubt out of your life. When you are able to connect with other people and form close relationships, your stress levels will fall and you can experience such health benefits as improved cardiovascular and immune system health. Reduced stress and improved health will help you maintain a more positive outlook on yourself and keep doubtful thoughts at bay. Open and honest communication is another important way for you to develop trust between yourself and someone else. When you withhold negative emotions such as frustration or sadness, it may make it harder for you to release these negative thoughts and develop a more positive outlook. Talking to someone you trust about these feelings can help relieve tension and make it easier for you to stay positive.

• 3

  Take time to quietly meditate and reflect upon the things that make you doubtful about your situation. Practice looking at these doubts from an outsider's perspective and contemplate whether an unbiased outsider would consider your doubts reasonable. If you have trouble visualizing this, ask an unbiased friend, family member or co-worker about your situation to gain further insight into your negative thoughts.

• 4

  Write down any negative, doubtful thoughts you have and convert these negative thoughts into positive ones. Doing this will help you restructure the way you approach things in your life. For example, if you write down, "I don't feel as though I will get this job," restructure the sentence into a more positive thought, such as, "I am hopeful and excited about the chance to work for this company." Actively removing the doubt and negativity will help you develop a habit of more positive thinking. (reference 2)

• 5

  Keep yourself physically and mentally fit. Developing your intelligence and keeping your body in good shape are important ways to help you remove doubts about yourself and your abilities to perform. You can do this by taking regular walks, joining a jogging or bicycle club, learning a new word every day and reading literature that you find to be intellectually stimulating.

• 6

  Set priorities and keep yourself focused on the most important things in your life and in your schedule. When setting goals for yourself, create an outline of progress marks and rewards to keep yourself positive and motivated. Don't set goals for yourself that are too lofty, as this can lead to failure and doubt.

• 7

  Associate with people who have a positive outlook on life. Being around people who are positive and proactive can help you develop a greater sense of happiness and aid you in getting rid of your doubtful thoughts.

• 8

  Challenge yourself on a daily basis to do a new activity or learn something new. Don't worry about being unsuccessful in your pursuits; remember that you have the chance to improve and try something new every day.