Your level of confidence and belief in yourself, and your abilities, is one of the key determinants of your ability to accomplish your goals and succeed in any area of your life. As inventor and businessman Henry Ford is often credited with saying, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right!”

Adopting a positive mindset strengthens your willpower and gives you the fortitude to keep working towards your goals and aspirations no matter how difficult your present circumstances might be.

If you would like to strengthen your resolve and begin to manifest a happier, more successful life, try some of these techniques.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Do you know anyone that seems to suck the life and energy out of a room as soon as they enter it?

Negative people are an extremely demoralising force and you should do your best to minimise your contact with them.

If you hang around someone with a negative attitude long enough, you will eventually begin to mirror their emotions and behaviour.

To ensure that you feel happy and energised, it is very important that you decide carefully who to allow into your inner circle. As much as possible, try to avoid people who are overly dramatic, that complain about circumstances, or ooze negativity.

Instead, surround yourself with people who lift you up and encourage you, that inspire you and believe in you.

Embrace Positive Words and Speech

The words we say to ourselves and to others eventually become our thoughts and deeds. A simple, fast way to begin to change your attitude is to adopt a more positive vocabulary. Instead of saying, “I can’t,” say, “I can,” or “I will!”

Start your day off in a positive frame of mind by spending a few moments each morning speaking positive statements and affirmations out loud. Take care to express each statement in a positive form, avoiding negative trigger words such as: no, can’t, won’t or impossible.

Assume the Best!

When confronting a roadblock, or thinking about what events are likely to happen in the future what are your expectations? Do you expect to succeed, or do you assume you will fail?

Practice viewing events in a more positive light. Whenever you feel yourself begin to worry and focus on what could go wrong, learn to reframe events and to anticipate things going your way. What would happen if everything goes right?

Remember you are always in charge of your attitude and it is entirely your choice how to interpret and view events and circumstances in your life!

Count Your Blessings and Express Your Gratitude

Practice positive self-reflection and take some time to look back on the things you have overcome and what you have accomplished so far on your life. Reflect on your wins, rather than focusing on ‘’failures.’’ Be thankful for the times when things have gone right in the past, rather than obsessing about past mistakes.

Writing about your positive experiences can help you increase your feelings of gratitude. As you reflect on your best qualities, strengths and accomplishments it will also boost your confidence in your abilities and increase the trust that you have in yourself.

By taking the time to reflect on the success and journaling about your wins, you are building a library of positive experiences and happy moments that will sustain you in difficult times and overcoming hard challenges.

Gain Some Perspective

When going through a hardship try to remember that everyone has trials that they go through – it’s a part of life.

Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone, that others have gone through similar experiences. Not only have others survived similar challenges, they have come away from these experiences with increased inner strength, greater wisdom and abundant grace — and it’s likely that you will do the same!

Looking for some more ways to create and maintain a positive mindset? Take a look at my video on how to build courage below.