It’s rumored that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. 30 days must be even more effective, right? For me, 30 days of positivity created an essential change in my life. Want to know how? Keep reading!

In Media Project, a course I’m taking for Capstone Prep in my senior year of college, a 30 day challenge was presented to us with the end goal of advancing our professional presence. My classmates and I were given the directive to find something we THOUGHT we could consistently do for 30 days of our lives. A number of options fluctuated as potential commitments for me – should I stick to a budget? Try to go to sleep a specific time each night? (HA, good one!) Drink a gallon of water a day?

None of these appealed to me. Each of these ideas would assist my life as a whole, but I craved to achieve a specific task that would ACTUALLY make a concrete difference. So, I considered positivity. It always helps to maintain a positive attitude. It would assist me in the professional world via optimism and a better attitude, as well as contributing to my entire life. Plus, I’m told I am often negative due to a predisposition of genetics from my family. I decided to take a shot at being positive for 30 days.

I didn’t just state, “Oh, I’ll be positive for 30 days. That’s it!” I developed the idea of writing down three specific things that were a plus about my day. These could be anything from meeting someone new, liking my dinner, to FaceTiming my best friend. It only had to be an aspect of my day that was good, or had a positive purpose.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t write these every single day. But – I did catch up if I hadn’t written them for a day or two (or maybe four). On the days I hadn’t written them, it was noticeable, for myself AND others. I’d be on the phone with my mother, and would be cranky about a part of life. She’d say, “Did you write your three things last night?” Bet you can guess what my answer was.

It’s crazy, but this really and truly did change my life. It created a mental shift in my brain in order for me to become more positive. I felt it. On days when I hadn’t written the three positives the night before, or for more than that, I would find myself being inherently negative. I’d dread the easiest work to do, grumble about my workout of the day, or just generally not be in a good mood.

When I did – I could tell. I was more creative, excited to be able to lift (my workout of choice) and happy to simply be in the gym with other athletes, smiling at any stranger who walked my way. Okay, maybe that’s a little too happy-go-lucky, but I definitely was more friendly!

I genuinely feel better mentally and physically, and find myself more willing to go and participate in various activities. My mindset feels as if it’s been completely switched – from negative to positive. Before, I would focus on everything going wrong with my day and life. Now, as I continuously write these each night, I find much more to be grateful for.

If you struggle with negativity, I’d definitely recommend picking up a habit such as this one to change your mind. Gratitude has a way of affecting the entire life positively. If you’re unhappy, wrestle with confidence, or just want to add a new habit to better yourself, I can absolutely offer that this is worth taking just five minutes a day to write the “good” down in print. I can’t guarantee this will change your life, but in a cheesy enough way (yes, I know), it did mine. I hope it can make a difference in yours!