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At the end of the day, negative attitudes often mask a lack of energy to ‘just do it’. Negativity can be habit-forming, providing endless excuses to under-perform and becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. But you can change the way your day’s going and increase your success by being aware of negativity in your career and personal life and turning it around. Try these tips and see.

Practise these simple tricks if you catch yourself in a negative mind set:

• reframe immediately as a positive statement. Is there a ‘glass half full’ rather than a ‘glass half empty’ way to say it?
• get up from your desk and walk briskly. To the photocopier or the tea room or out to the street, it doesn’t matter where. Just distance yourself from the negative thought, even for a moment or two. If you can schedule a walk around the block to go for lunch or get a coffee, a little fresh air might do the trick
• smile. If that sounds corny, just try it, OK? ‘Fake it till you make it’, at least long enough till you get a grip on your thoughts
• wallpaper it. Think of a phrase from your favourite happy song – whistle or hum or plug in those ear buds. After all, negative thoughts are just a habit; they don’t necessarily have anything to do with anything. If pop psychology fails, try pop music

Take it on as a challenge and lighten your day.