By Wendy Komac 

The dichotomy between good and evil, positive and negative, will always be. However, you can choose between the two. Make the negative an abstract idea that you once knew, but vow to never visit again. Make the positive your default position.

This switch begins with your relationships. When you’re around people, pay attention to how they make you feel. Don’t focus on the kind of people they are, but zone in on what kinds of emotions are stirred when you first see them or interact with them. There are plenty of respectable, kind people in this world who can still bring negativity into your life. It’s all about your relationships with them; if those aren’t positive for you, they don’t need to be sustained.

Think for Yourself

Friends and family influence the way we form opinions. They can have an effect on the way we treat others, the way we view the world, and, most pertinent to this discussion, the way we view ourselves. Some people have been raised to believe that the opinions of those around them matter more than the opinions they formulate themselves.

If you are constantly redefining your opinion of yourself because of an outside influence, then turn around and pick up your backbone.

You have to value yourself and discard the negative and wrong opinions of others when necessary. This is not achievable through passivity; instead, it takes courage, confidence, and positive thinking. It’s okay to listen to and respect others’ points of view, but it’s unacceptable to let them form your opinion of yourself.

I would never be where I am today if I hadn’t determined my own self-worth. I had to believe I was capable of more.

Finding the Right Supplements

Think of your lifestyle as a diet. You fill it with the fuel that’s going to keep you performing at your highest level. Supplementing that with positivity can only make you stronger.

How do you spot the potentially good influences? Look for people who light up a room when they walk in the door. What’s your first impression? How did they make you feel? Did they have a positive effect on your day, even if it was just a smile? Find the people who flood space with positive energy. Your personalities will reflect like mirrors to those around you.

Kick the (Negative) Habit

There are, most likely, negative people in your life right now. Kicking people out of your life is not easy, so the trick is to carefully weed them out. Negative people hate to be surrounded by positivity. If you attract the right people and you form a positive environment, then the negative influences will naturally die off. It’s as simple as that. You hold the key to your happiness.

Achieving a positive lifestyle is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. Train yourself to kill off negativity. Soon, having a positive lifestyle will be effortless. Now’s as good a time as any to kick-start a positive lifestyle; the only boost you need is within you.

Wendy Komac is a long-time turnaround specialist who has helped save companies by focusing on changing under-performers into exceptional workers. She is the author of I Work With Crabby Crappy People, a humorous and highly informative book about achieving happiness and success. To learn more about Wendy and the wild ride though Fubar Corp., visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

*Photo by Jon McGovern.