Train Yourself for a Kick-Ass Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)

Finding joy in life’s major successful events or milestones is easy – it comes naturally. The problem is these occur very infrequently. Learn to live each day with the same sort of joy and anticipation as you get with these big moments by practicing mindfulness.

The benefits of mindfulness are now being studied and the results confirm what has been known to a few for eons. Mindfulness has incredible benefits to everyone in today’s modern world. By practicing and strengthening this skill you not only sharpen your mental awareness, you increase your ability to find joy throughout your day – regardless of what’s happening around you.

Chade-Meng Tan rose to fame while working at Google. He was hired to help develop their mobile search function. He later launched “mindfulness classes” as chronicled in this NY Times article: Take a Deep Breath. Chade-Meng believes in finding “thin slices of joy” that you seek and accumulate throughout the day. With a little practice you can become a master at this yourself. If Google is smart enough to figure out there’s benefit in having a PMA, why don’t you begin to develop yours?

Life is what happens to us between our goals and major events. Rather than focusing exclusively on the end-point, train yourself to focus on the positive, little things you encounter throughout your day. Enjoy the process moment by delectable moment. By doing this you train your brain to become more positive overall. Your creativity, health, and fun will all soar. By finding joy in the seemingly inconsequential events of everyday life you begin to enjoy the process of life with anticipation. Every day is a new adventure and your job is to find something joyous to celebrate.

Seemingly innocuous events – driving to work and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, hearing an old favorite tune on the radio, or receiving a text from a past friend – all are moments to be acknowledged and appreciated. Learn to be on the hunt for these “thin slices of joy” and watch your outlook brighten while your health and creativity soar. With a little practice you will quickly learn that joy is something to be expected. Soon you won’t be able to imagine living any other way.

By training your brain in this manner, you become adept at seeing possibilities and opportunity where others only see obstacles. Your life will have greater meaning and depth.

And you’ll smile a lot more.