Hello Bryn!

I think it's great that you want to be a positive person.
There was a time in my life when I was rather negative because of many negative things that had happened to me, and I had grown frustrated and bitter.
But little by little, my point of view has changed, and now I see every day as a challenge to grow even more, and to become an even better person. When you strive to be a good person, and to be there for other people and the world around you, other people will automatically notice sooner or later, and they will feel drawn to you.

But it's important that we do the things we do because we believe in them, and not to get praise and attention from others. Praise is not the reason a truly good person does good deeds, and it's also a surefire way to end up feeling disappointed and ignored.

Examine your own actions every day. Could you have been a little nicer to your brother when he dropped your glass of OJ? Did you have to snap at the guy who cut in line at the store? Or is there perhaps a kinder, wiser, better way to respond in situations like that in the future? People don't drop things on purpose, and those who cut in line have simply not been taught to be considerate and polite. Aggression will often turn an already hostile person even more against you instead of teaching them something.

Try to imagine how you would want others to act towards you in every situation, and then base your own actions on that. This is also known as the Golden Rule. Don't expect things from others that you don't give to them in return.

When you feel yourself losing your temper, try to breathe deeply and slow yourself down before you do something you regret. If somebody is mean to you, remember that you can serve as a good example to them by not stooping to the same level as them. This is what Jesus meant when he said we should turn the other cheek when someone hits us. "Love your enemy," he said, "because loving those who love you back is no big deal. How does that make you an especially good person? It doesn't. Be kind also to jerks."

Hitting back makes us no better than the "bad guy", which means we lose our right to even call anyone else "bad" for what they've done. This is why the death penalty for people who have killed someone is terribly wrong and sadly ironic, for example. Revenge is never good.

Another way to be more positive is to examine the language we use. Four-letter words or calling things "gay" or "girly" to say they're somehow bad is very negative and hurtful. Always try to check whether the way you express your thoughts could hurt someone needlessly.

We also tend to complain way too much about things that aren't so bad. To be less negative, simply count your blessings each day and remember how much worse some other people have it! Almost NOTHING is so bad that it's worth being negative or a jerk over it...we're alive and we're not alone, we should be happy while we are here together.

Sorry for the long reply, guess I was on a roll! ;) Hope you find some of it inspiring, and once again kudos for wanting to improve yourself!

Wow, I was going to come up with a brilliant answer until I saw the one from Seraph. She wrote the book on this and her advice is awesome. But, if I had 2 suggest two things, this is what they would be:

1. Develop a few interests that you really love. It can be music, sports, drama, fashion, anything. What'll happen is that your passion for the subject will shine through even if you're feeling bad and will make people love 2 be around you.

2. Really try to get to know other people. This is hard because, it means we have to listen to them to understand and listening is hard (for me anyway). But people know when you're interested and they will see you as a positive, loving person

Actually, just by asking the question makes you a positive person in my view.

Merry Christmas,

J.

first of all, you have to be doing it for yourself, not for other people. other than that, i pretty much agree with other answers. :)

Let Jesus into you're life, get to know him! He's pretty cool...

Thanks! I have been writing poetry to express my emotions. I also have been trying to appreciate people no matter who they are. I think i'm a more positive person now! Thank you for the advice it really worked!

Thank you for all the advice! I've been trying to do all of that and I think it's really working!

This really helped a lot! I have been feeling happier because of letting him into my life more!