With everything that has been happening with the world lately: Gun violence, racism, judging people, hate, people turning against people, War, the presidential election, it is hard to see any positivity anymore, if there was any to begin with. What do we have to be positive about? It's not easy to keep rooting for a future that may or may not even happen. It's a lot easier to bury our heads in the sand and give up. It's easy to be negative. There's so much negativity now a days it's almost abnormal to be positive. Being a full time optimist myself, I don't think there's only negativity left in the world. I don't believe that all we have to look forward to is a bleak dark future. No. I wont accept that. I wont give into the negativity and neither should the rest of the you. It's easy to find positivity as it is to find negativity.

Here are five ways that you can become more positive and find brightness instead of focusing on the negative:

1. Fill your head with sunshine not rain clouds.

Stop focusing on the negative. Just stop thinking about it! When you keep thinking negatively, it's like a black hole is swallowing you up and you can't get out of it. It consumes you and that's not healthy. It is clinically possible for people to get sick from too much negativity. So instead of thinking the worst of situations, think of the best!

Your attitude and thought process play a big influence on how you live in life. If you're negative and your head is filled with rain clouds, then that's all you'll get. If you put on a brave face, smile and fill your head with sunshine, positive thoughts, such as,"Today is going to be a good day," then you will have the best day you can.

People always tend to focus on what we can't do or the worst things that can happen. What good will that do? Don't worry about what can and can't happen, no one can control that. Isn't it easier just to think the good, instead of thinking the bad? At least with sunshine thoughts, it makes life a lot easier to live. Think about it. When you have happy thoughts, it's like you are coated in a bubble and nothing negative can hurt you. You're so filled with the positive thoughts that you're only focused on the positive!

Positive things can only happen if you are willing to think that way. If you think negative then that's all that will happen. Once you have positive thoughts in your head, the rain clouds will go away.

Remember it's great to have positive thoughts, but you have to act on them to get a positive reaction. Those thoughts will become feelings and those feelings will become positive experiences. See what happens when you think positive. Life becomes so much easier and full of sunshine!

So focus on the sunshine thoughts: "Everything is going to be okay," "Today is going to be great," "I am still here and my life is good," and "Good things are going to happen."

Keep those rain clouds outside and bring the sunshine in.

2. Smile a day keeps the negativity away!

It's really simple, but very effective! Smiling can have such a positive effect on your mood. Smiling is not just a facial expression, it is the easiest way to show happiness. Fun fact: it is easier for your body to smile. Smiling uses less muscles/energy compared to frowning. Plus, it's friendlier!

When you are stressed from negativity, a simple smile can not only make you feel good, but it also makes everyone around you feel good. You never know if another person might be feeling just as negative as you, but as soon as you smile at them, they can't help but feel positive energy from your smile which causes them to smile, too.

It always feels to good to smile. It makes people look so beautiful and full of life. When you smile it makes you feel happy, and negative thoughts just go away. So, keep on smiling. It's like poison to negativity.

3. Be around positive people.

Being around positive people sounds like common sense. It's better to be with people who lift you up than those who bring you down. However, it is very difficult to find people who can be those positive influences. Some people have the tendency to hang on to negative, toxic people. They have a fear of being alone or not being able to find someone better. So they decide to stay with these people, be affected by their negativity and sacrifice their own happiness.

This can damage someone's mentally and even cause them to be stressed. I have personally experience negative friends that have cause mental stress because of all their negativity. It was too much.

Sometimes you have to cut those negative people off. Please remember, you don't have to be friends with everyone. You don't need to be in a negative relationship of any kind. If someone makes you feel worthless or like you're nothing, you don't need them in your life because they are just breaking you down. That's not what people who truly care about you do.

People who care about you and love you make you feel good about yourself. They make you feel loved, lift you up, encourage you and fill you with positivity. When you have people that are positive in your life, it makes facing the negativity in the world a lot more easier. An army of positivity can defeat any negativity!

4. Have a positivity jar.

Having a jar that you can open anytime and read a positive message is a great idea for people who need a boost of positivity. Sometimes we need some motivation and a bit of a boost to be positive. It's always good to read a message that's so inspirational it makes you think, "Hey, my life isn't all bad. I do have some positivity in my life, and I should be happy with what I have."

For me, having a positivity jar makes my day even brighter. Everyone needs a little reminder that they are amazing, life is good and there is always a light at the end of every turn. If you don't have a jar, that's okay! You can write a list of positive things or sticky notes and hang them on a wall. Anything can work as long as you can look at it and remember that you have a reason to be happy!

5. Encourage Others to be Positive

That's my purpose in life. My main goal to spread my positivity to everyone. I personally don't want anyone feeling sad or negativity. Seeing people everyday falling victim to negativity hurts me. It's great when you finally feel positive and happy, but the feeling you get when you cause someone else to have that same positivity feels amazing. All my happiness comes from making others happy,. Seeing them smile or feel better about themselves because of something I did makes me feel warm and full of sunshine. If I can make one person smile everyday, then I have done my job.

In order to get rid of negativity, you have to spread sunshine to everyone so that they can feel good about themselves. When I first stared writing and sharing my work, I was amazed how much positive feedback I was getting. People were telling me that I made their day, I made them smile or I made them feel better about themselves. That's the best feeling ever! Just to know I made a small difference in that person's day.

Making people feel good and like matter builds their confidence, lift their spirits and make them feel like someone is really there for them. Everyone needs a pep talk and positive vibes. If the world had more people taking the time to encourage others and make them feel better, maybe we wouldn't be in the world we are today. Sometimes all people need is someone to be a ray of sunshine to bring them up.