Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Wonder. Wonder Wonders, “Why do people have attitudes?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Wonder!

Who would you rather hang around with? Someone who always acts down in the dumps? Or someone who manages to see the good around them, even when things aren't always going great?

It's no surprise that people enjoy being around positive people more than negative people. It's just more fun to be around someone who's upbeat and looking for the good in things. Life can be hard sometimes, but if you try, you can always find good things to be thankful for.

Having a positive attitude can help you in many ways. If you have a positive attitude, you're more fun to be around. Your friends will definitely appreciate you more if you see the silver lining rather than just the dark clouds!

If you work hard to have a positive attitude, you might be surprised by how much better you feel about yourself and life in general. When you turn away from the negative and focus on the positive, you open your mind to appreciate all the good things around you that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Having a positive attitude can also reduce your stress level. The less stress you feel, the better you will feel overall. So if you've been feeling tired or just “blah," put on a happy face and you just might feel better soon.

But how can you have a positive attitude when life is hard? It's more than just turning life's lemons into lemonade. Having a positive attitude can take some hard work. But it's worth it. Here are some ways you can develop and maintain a positive attitude even in the midst of life's troubles:

  • A positive attitude doesn't mean ignoring life's troubles. It just means being an optimist and looking for the good in things, rather than being a pessimist and concentrating on the bad in things. Sometimes your perspective can make all the difference in the world.
  • Identify those areas of your life that might not be going so well. These are the areas likely to make you think negative thoughts. Focus on one area at a time and think of ways you can find the positive in things.
  • Smile and laugh! Yes, it can be that simple. Learn to love life, no matter what's going on. Smile at others and they will smile back at you. Have fun and find the humor in life. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.
  • Exercise! Get off the couch and get moving. Being active and healthy can give you a completely different outlook on life. When you feel better physically, you often naturally feel better mentally, too.
  • Hang out with optimists! Remember that question at the beginning of today's Wonder? The more you hang out with positive people, the easier it will be to have a positive attitude.

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