Ever wonder why some people are rarely negative, somehow finding a way to remain patient, optimistic, and positive in the midst of even the toughest circumstances?

Or why others are the exact opposite, having a sour outlook on life with a "doom-and-gloom" attitude?

Well, believe it or not, it all boils down to this one thing.

What Are You Feeding Your Thoughts?

According to Dr. Caroline Leaf, an expert in the science of brain neurology, many of the illnesses that plague you today are a direct result of your "thought life."

The average person has over 30,000 thoughts a day and each thought you have affects you physically and emotionally. ​

Research shows that, through an uncontrolled thought life, you can create the conditions for illness.

In other words, your thoughts can literally make you sick.

Maybe you know somebody who went through a personal struggle, like a breakup or death in the family.

And, within a few short weeks, they lost 30 pounds due to the stress-induced "sick" feeling in their gut.

For example, fear triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses and activates more than 30 different hormones. Fear can hurt your health and cost you everything in life.

Of course, you will feel particular emotions from time to time, and certain thoughts will creep into even the most positive person’s mind.

But it’s what you do with those thoughts that’s the difference between living a positive, happy life, and a negative, miserable one.

So how can you be fully in control of your thoughts to ensure you are part of the first group (positive and happy), not the latter?

1. ☀️Be Grateful

When you keep in mind that 2/3 of the world woke up today without clean water, a toilet to flush, or a light to turn on it’s pretty easy to see how blessed you all are. Me too.

Published studies across multiple ages, genders, and ethnicities shows that people who are grateful have an increased sense of well-being, better sleep, more willingness to accept change, and even have lower symptoms of pain.

Take time every day, even if it’s just a few minutes, to express gratitude by using a gratitude journal, praying, or simply counting your blessings.

This one thing alone will have an incredible impact on your thought life.

By the way, you don't need a fancy app for this.

A basic 99-cent composition notebook makes a great journal.

2. ☀️Serve Others

You can help others by giving back of your time, energy, talents, and financial resources.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the good you make happen for others will be given back to you ten-fold.

You see, the greatest exercise you can perform is to reach down and lift somebody else up.

This will plant positive seeds of optimism and hope in your life to create a healthier thought life.

3. ☀️Hang Out with Positive People

Surround yourself with positive people who support your dreams, goals, and desires.

It’s a simple philosophy; you become the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.

If you spend the majority of your time with pessimistic, negative people, you and your own thoughts will follow suit.

Conversely, when you spend time with people who are a positive influence in your life, you’ll have a flourishing thought life.

You'll break through your barriers.

Consider for a moment your thoughts as a seed.

Some thoughts become flowers. Others become weeds.

When you sow seeds of doubt with negative thoughts you can expect insecurity, frustration, and fear.

When you sow seeds of hope with positive thoughts you can enjoy the fruits of better health and increased happiness.

In other words, what you focus on expands exponentially in your life.

If you think in negative terms, you will likely find yourself unhappy, unhealthy, and unsuccessful.

After all, how can anything “good” happen to someone who is always complaining and viewing their life as a victim?

Instead, if you make a choice to think positive and be positive through every circumstance, then you will be much more likely to find happiness, thrive, and live your best life.

Some folks consider this type of thinking "new age"; however, there's nothing new about it.

Positivity goes way back.

You might even say the Bible was the first "self-help" manual.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”

According to experts that tabulate things, by the time your life is over you will have spent six months at stoplights, eight months opening junk mail, an entire year and a half looking for lost stuff, a whopping five years standing in lines, and who knows how many years in the bathroom.

It’s during these times that you have a very important choice to make:

You get to choose what you’re thinking about.

Of course nobody is immune to criticism and adversity, but it’s much easier to overcome these challenges when you choose a positive thought life.

When you think positive thoughts instead of seeing scarcity, you’ll see abundance.

Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, you’ll start focusing on what’s right.

Instead of seeing the glass half empty, you’ll see the glass half full.

Instead of taking things like basic living needs for granted, you’ll start focusing on gratitude.

It's how you win the long game.

The key to success and the key to failure is controlling what you feed your thoughts.

You become that which you think about most of the time.

It’s not always easy, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online age-management personal trainer, or you want to visit the best longevity personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.