Are you the type of person that sees the silver lining or do you dwell on the looming rain? Is the cup half empty or half full? Your perspective can change your point of view in an instant; it’s up to you how you respond to that thinking.

Unhappy people are easy to spot. They are the ones with the rain cloud over their heads on a sunny day.  My daughters and I call them Eeyore(s) (he’s the sad donkey from Winnie the Pooh).  To them every event big or small has negative characteristics. A simple run through the drive through becomes a half hour long rant on how the burger doesn’t look like the picture and they forgot the napkins. We all know people like this in fact you might even be one of them. Even the best of us get a little caught up in these downward swings but if you don’t catch yourself and change your perspective you could be in for disaster.

Changing your perspective doesn’t have to be hard. It’s a matter of looking at things from all angles and following the path that leads to the intended result, success. Some might say the Eeyore’s of the world are taking the easy way out because they don’t try. I’m not convinced in the least that these people are choosing the easy way. From my point of view it’s a million times harder to be stuck under heavy negativity. It must be very hard to carry that kind of burden through out life.

If you’re stuck under a rain cloud and you’re finding it difficult to see the sunny side here’s a few tips to navigate through the storm.

Re-organize your surroundings.
If your personal space is in disarray your mind set reflects the same. It’s time to re-organize your life starting with your physical space. Get rid of the piles, the messes, and the cobwebs on the ceiling and you’ll find that you’re thinking more clearly in no time.

Don’t isolate.
Negativity often brings isolation for a couple different reasons; sometimes a person that dwells on the negative finds faults in others and decides to cut themselves off from the people around them or friends and family purposefully distance themselves because they’re left feeling frustrated or depressed after an afternoon with Eeyore. Get back into the swing of things. Reach out to people in your life who are more positive. If you’ve got a bunch of downers around you, you’re probably feeding off their energy. Switch it up and be the ray of sunshine they might need.

What’s the BEST case scenario?
Are you always thinking about the “worst case scenario”? If you are each “worse case scenario” begets yet another and before you know it you’re caught in a crazy cycle of doubt. It’s time to physically correct your posture and stand up tall to yourself. If you can dream up a “worst case scenario” then you most definitely can do the same for a BEST case scenario. Once you have that in view break it down into manageable steps. Do something everyday to move toward your best case scenario.