The truth is you can’t have a life of positivity while spending a lot of time with people who drag you down. The good news is that there is a simple solution! Surround yourself with positive people. When I started this habit I had some nearly immediate results…and some that will pay off further down the road. Here are 8 amazing things that will happen when you surround yourself with positive people.
1. Your Attitude Will Change
I love spending time with my positive friends! I get energized and excited. My attitude becomes one of confidence and peace. You will enjoy the same results. Time with negative people will affect your attitude negatively, but time with positive people will allow you to move through circumstances with a smile on your face.
2. You Will Accomplish More
I mentor a group of runners. I do my best to exude positivity whenever we are together. Do you know that those wonderful people will run longer and faster because they are being encouraged? They accomplish more than they thought possible because they are taught to believe they can. So will you! Having people who tell you that you can do more will make it so you actually will do more!
3. You Will Make More Friends
Think about your current group of friends. Out of all of them, which one has the most friends in their life? I’ll bet you’ll discover that your positive friends have way more friends than the negative people. Most of us love spending time with the person who is the life of the party…who is (not coincidentally) highly positive. Want more friends? Hang around positive people!
4. You Will Make More Money
Here is a practical effect of spending time with positive people. It’ll make you more money! As noted above, being with positive people makes you more positive. According to the Wall Street Journal, positive people make more money than average, but they make a LOT more than negative people.[1] The difference? 40%! That’s right, happy, positive people make around 40% more than negative people. Be positive to make more money.
5. You Will Be Consistently Happy
I want to note here that happiness is truly an internal attitude. This internal attitude is very manageable. Most of us go through life letting circumstances dictate our happiness. We live on autopilot, and our autopilot is usually negative. However, frequent exposure to positivity will move your default state toward the side of happiness. If you make a conscious change to keep positive people nearby as much as possible then you will be consistently happier.
6. You Will Become a Magnet for Success
You may have seen this before, but it’s so very true: When you spend time with positive people, you become more positive. The result is people will want to spend more time with you. This becomes a snowball in your success. When people see how excited and enthusiastic you are about your business or work they will want to be a part of your vision. Your positivity will attract success like a magnet! Find out more about The Hidden Power of Every Single Person Around You.
7. You Will Become More Generous
Examples from my positive friends inspire me to be more generous. So many of them have helped me that I want to give back. I love helping people with running, writing, speaking, improving their jobs, and becoming entrepreneurs. I love writing articles like this one. I write tens of thousands of words to help others because it’s just so much fun! When you are positive, helping people just becomes part of your nature. You will want to give and share, it won’t be an option, you’ll have a burning need to be generous.
8. You Will Live Longer
This is a big one. Your positive friends will rub off on you and help you live longer. According to Dr. David R. Hamilton, studies have shown that positive people live seven or more years longer than negative people![2] Positive people have fewer chronic health problems and are better at fighting off diseases. If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this: positivity affects how long you live.
Final Thoughts
Don’t just dump all of your negative friends, family and co-workers. That may be neither practical nor kind. But do make a conscious effort to limit time with them while increasing time with people who have a positive outlook. How much you help others, your success and even the length of your life are at stake. Featured photo credit: Austin Blanchard via unsplash.com
