. Show up

 Not feeling the gym? Go anyway. Don’t feel like playing the piano after making a commitment to practice every day? Do it and play.

The payout of showing up and committing goes a long way. It builds confidence, and with that growth, your mindset begins to change.

Of course, showing up may not always be fun but by meeting these small goals on your list allows you to tackle on the bigger ones that may seem far out of reach.

Encourage Children to stick with an activity for as long as they can. Try not to encourage them to jump from one activity to another.

2. Train children to think differently

Whenever you find yourself wanting something — or even just doing something — make it a habit to ask whether this is what YOU really want, or whether this is what you assumed you want because it’s what everyone else is doing (regardless of whether they actually want it, too).  Thinking differently comes easier for some people than others, but no matter where you fall on the spectrum, you can teach yourself to question assumptions and obligations.

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.

Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.

Children and teenager also need to be surrounded by positive people. Help children and teenager to make positive steps to surround themselves with people they like and who are positive about themselves and others.

Practices that Help Children Think Positively

Research suggests three ways to increase positive thinking in children:

1. LEARN HOW TO HAVE A GREAT DAY

Taking time to be with family and friends and doing the things you enjoy helps deepen relationships. Encourage children to design a day with you or someone close to them that would make both people happy. At the end of the day, help them savor their positive experiences by reflecting on the things they most enjoyed.

2. DEVELOP THEIR BEST SELVES

When children imagine themselves at their best, their confidence increases. We help children become their best selves by showing interest in them and the kind of young people they want to become. Especially at times when children feel good about themselves, help them recapture their thoughts and feelings. What feels good to them? Tell them what you noticed about them. Another aspect in developing best selves is by children becoming self-aware. Self-awareness allows children to see themselves as uniquely different from other people. They will come to know their own minds, feelings, bodies, and sensations, which leads to better emotional health and a positive outlook.

3. FOSTER GRATITUDE

When children learn to recognize and appreciate the good things in life, they develop satisfaction and a sense of optimism. In The Transformative Power of Gratitude, I outline five ways to nurture gratitude in homes and classrooms, including helping kids focus on the present moment and fostering their imagination. And when children are inspired to speak their gratitude aloud, it becomes even more powerful and transformative.