"The road to positivity is strewn with the abandoned vehicles of the faint-hearted.”——by Peter McWilliams
Each of us experience setbacks in life, all of which provide us with valuable lessons about the human condition. It is not the setback itself that influences your future, but rather how to react to the negative situation. You’ve heard the adage many times about turning lemons into lemonade, right? Well, this sentiment is absolutely true and can tremendously improve your quality of life.
Turning a negative experience into something more positive isn’t always easy. In fact, some of the most tragic moments in our life seem never-ending when we are experiencing them. However, there is always a way to take a bad situation and extract something positive from it. Below are five ways to do just that.
1. “This too shall pass.” That is what you should initially tell yourself when something bad happens. Repeat those words in your head and even aloud if it helps. The important thing is that you do not panic, as this will only exasperate the negative experience. Every bad moment in your life will end, which can be a comfort during the worst of times.
2. Find purpose in the experience. Some people believe that everything happens for a reason. While you may not buy into that philosophy, you can at least give each experience a purpose. Try to think of a lesson that the experience has taught you. Did you meet a new friend while going through this time? Did you learn how not to do something?
3. Keep your sense of humor handy. This applies to everything in your life. Almost every situation allows for a bit of levity, so remain humble and try seeing the humorous side of things. Even if it isn’t appropriate to joke about something aloud, you can make humorous observations in your mind to keep you on a positive track.
4. Don’t dwell on negative moments. You will not help anyone by stewing in a moment that has already passed. Whether you were hurt, embarrassed or both, the negative emotions you felt before should not remain fresh in your psyche. If you continue to dwell in the negative, you will never find your way out again.
5. Set a new goal to work towards. As I said before, you should never dwell in your past negative experiences. Sometimes it is hard to get out of a funk, however. The best way to rise up from a bad experience and move on from a situation is to set new, positive goals to focus on. This will give you something good to strive for and will take your mind off whatever has occurred.
“通往乐观的道路上布满了胆怯和自甘堕落的车辆。”——马克威廉.皮特
我们每个人在一生中经历着一些挫折，他们给我们带来了关于人情世故的宝贵的教训。挫折本身不仅影响你的将来，而且影响着你如何面对消极的状况。相信你已经 听过这个谚语很多次了吧，是关于把柠檬变成柠檬汽水的，是吗?很好，这个观点完全正确并且可以很大程度上改善你的生活质量。
把悲观的经历转化为乐观的经历并不总是容易的。事实上，当我们正在经历一些悲观的事情时，这些悲观的时刻在我们生活中似乎永无止境。但是总会有方法度过悲惨情况的，并从中学会积极面对。以下是五种变乐观的办法。
1. “这会过去的。”当你遇到一些挫折时，你必须一开始就对自己说这句话。如果有帮助的话，在头脑里不停得重复甚至大声对自己说。重要的是你不要惊慌，否则将会加剧你的消极情绪。你生活中的一切不好的事情将会过去，在你最糟糕是时候，他们将会成为一种安慰。
2.在经历中找到意义。一些人相信万事皆有因果。也许你不相信这个哲理，但是你至少可以在每一次的经历中寻找到意义。试着想想每一次经历教会了你什么。在这次的经历中，你认识了新朋友吗?你学会了不懂做的事情了吗?
3.随时保持你的幽默感。这适用于你生活的点点滴滴。几乎所有的情况都允许一点浮夸，因此在保持谦虚的同时也要看到幽默的本质。纵然有时不适合大声说玩笑，但是你的头脑中有些幽默的点子会让你驶入积极的轨道。
4.不要堕落在悲观时刻。对于已经过去的事情，你再烦恼也不会对任何人有帮助。你是否受到伤害，尴尬或两者你都受到，在之前感到的悲观情绪不应该再保留在你的心灵上。如果你继续停留在悲观，你将永远也不会找到出路。
5.以后的工作设立一个新的目标。正如我之前所说的，你不要停留在过去的消极经历中。有时在恐惧中走出来是不容易的，然而最好的办法是在糟糕的情况中脱离出来重新开始新的人生，新的积极目标并为此努力奋斗，这样你就会忘掉过去发生的不好事情了。
