The strange thing is however that I actually do virtually the same job. Now what the job is is not so important, what is important is that I feel completely different about it and much more positive... even though it is actually the same.

Of course I stopped to question myself about why this was one day recently. I had not really put my finger on the reason why I had experienced this change although it should have been obvious. You see in between these two points in time I had experienced a paradigm shift. Basically I had spent over a year working abroad in developing countries where my work and life had bought me into contact with many people who are deprived of the considerable opportunities that are available to many of us in the western world.

Where I happened to be staying an Asian friend of mine had ten days holiday a year worked ten hour days, six days a week and earned what I could earn in just a few days. However what struck me the most was that that job was about as good as it would get for that person. They had very little scope for progress due to societal pressures and would always really be stuck in that position.

Fast forward a year or so and I'm back in my homeland (UK) doing the exact same job where I was previously miserable but with a completely different outlook on it. I am now happy and overjoyed that I can progress with my work as much as I want, that I get weekends off and really if I am honest a comparatively healthy salary. I think it is fair to say that the job has certainly not changed but my attitude has which has made life so much more positive and enjoyable.

You could say it is the old 'Is the glass half empty or half full?' syndrome. However I would have to say that the positive shift has had a continuous knock on effect on other areas of my life. My positive attitude has led me to see other situations also in a more positive light which in turn has led me to be more motivated and act on those situations positively whereas as previously I may not have.

Adopting this positive attitude is a profoundly effective way of enjoying life more and creating more of what is already good in your life.

The good news is you don't have to go abroad and spend a year in a foreign country just to appreciate what you already have and create your own paradigm shift. If you want you can imagine what it would be like to have lived a few hundred years ago without all the luxuries we have now....no electricity, running water and so on.

However an easier way to appreciate what is already good in your life would be to sit and write down (Yes that's right, I'm asking you to be pro-active) the things you currently enjoy in your life. Focus on them, savour them and be thankful for them every time you do them.

This will overtime lead you to be able to look at your life and see the positives before the negatives. This habit of seeing the positives before the negatives will in turn perpetuate them into other areas of your life until that previously half empty glass of yours is suddenly at least half full and in fact will soon be over-flowing if you continue in the same vein.

It is just as easy to be positive as it is to be negative, develop the habit and you are creating an invaluable life skill that will enhance you life from now on.