Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself to increase longevity and live a happier, healthier life is to learn how to develop and keep a positive mental attitude.

The development of an attitude that is positive and lifts you up is an on going always evolving process. This process will require your daily attention in order that it will be nourished and take root in your subconscious mind. The younger the better for development of this positive mental attitude as the skills acquired will serve you as you face the challenges and adversities of life. The laws of nature tell us that you cannot have a down without also having an up, a right without a left or a top without a bottom. I know that if I am in the midst of an adversity in life there is an equal or larger bounty on the other side of it. The skills developed as I grow my positive mental attitude will drive me through the mud of the adversity, to the clean dry ground of the other side.

One of the first areas we must work on is that of self confidence. We must believe in ourselves and our abilities. This self confidence starts first with a clear and definite purpose for our lives. Once we have that clear in our mind it frees up our natural strengths to develop a plan. It is amazing how much more confident we are in ourselves and things in general when we have clear direction. This will also help you overcome facts that appear to be against you. Our attitudes toward facts are more important than the facts themselves.

Develop a list of the positive factors you bring to the table as you work to overcome a situation, challenge the facts and face the fears. As you focus on or visualize those assets and affirm them over and over again in your mind, you will hurdle past any obstacle that keeps you from success. Emerson said, “They conquer who believe they can.”

Important Tools to Keep a Positive Attitude

Scientific research indicates that “retirement” really isn’t a good thing for us if we want to develop and keep a positive mental attitude about life. Below are some helpful tools for you to live by if living a full, rich life is of concern to you.

• Keep Busy – A rocking chair isn’t the way to achieve “Fountain of Youth” effects during the aging process. We now know that keeping active, both in body and mind is the best way to live a long and productive life. Grow daily toward achievement of your goals, this will keep you busy moving, focused forward and not looking back. It is hard to plow a straight line in the field of life if we are overly concerned with the past, especially as we have more years behind us than ahead. I often use the following to explain how important focusing on our goals is to our long term success in any area of life. If I were to place you at one end of a football field pointed toward the opposite goal post and asked you to walk to that goal post you would be surprised at how straight a line you will walk. But if I ask you to focus on the goal post and then blind fold you by the time you have walked the 100 yards without your eyes focused on the goal you may find yourself as far away from the goal as when you started.
• Write Your Own Road Map – Baby boomers entering their 60s never expected to age, so they’re now looking for ways to keep their youth – but most are trying to retain their youth with cosmetic surgery, pills or surrounding themselves with youthful “things” such as a bright red sports car. Writing your own road map for the rest of your life is empowering and can also help to build your mental aptitude just as you would build your muscles through exercise.
• Cultivate Healthy Relationships – The relationships you cultivate with family and friends can make the difference in how you view the rest of your life. Taking trips and learning new things are all better done with someone you care about than alone.

Take the necessary steps to develop a positive mental attitude which will help you through the aging process gently and optimistically.