Have you been struggling in work or in your personal life? Do you keep trying but it seems like everything you do is a waste? Are you starting to think that maybe success isn’t possible?

Well, I’m glad to say you’re wrong. In fact, there’s a decent chance you’re already doing everything right. The problem isn’t what you’re doing; it’s how you’re thinking. If you want to achieve success, whether it’s at work, at school, at home, or while you’re playing minesweeper on the library computer, the key to achieving what you want is positive thinking.

Whether through genetics, or through learning from others around us, most of us have been programmed to think negatively about a situation. We finish a project and instead of being excited, we are worried it’s not good enough or are already looking forward to the next project we haven’t finished yet. Or we look in the mirror at ourselves and only see the flaws, not the good parts. This thinking has permeated our lives. While we think it may help us see problems, it also holds us back. If all we see is negative, we become discouraged and are rarely successful.

As pretty much any successful person will tell you, the key to success is believing you will succeed. This even extends farther. The more positive your thoughts and attitudes, the more likely you are to do better. This is why teachers are encouraged to put positive comments on papers even if a child does badly. This is why businesses give recognition to employees who do well, because positive thinking works.

While this sounds like a great idea, we all know it’s not as easy as it seems. If you’ve spent your life thinking negatively, it can be difficult to retrain your brain to look on the bright side. Here are some tips for turning your mental frown upside down.

* Associate with positive people. Have you ever noticed that when one person walks into the office in a really bad mood, everyone else eventually gets a little grumpier? Attitudes, both positive and negative, are contagious. While you can’t necessarily spend all your time with positive thinkers, or completely avoid the negative ones, you can try to budget your time and resources to be in more uplifting company.

* Surround yourself with positive words and images. A few years back, there was a very popular poster of a kitten hanging in a precarious position that said “hang in there”. While it may seem silly to most of us, this kind of tool can be very effective. If cute and cuddly posters aren’t your thing, look up quotes, people, or images that you find inspiring and post them around your workspace. They will provide you a constant stream of positivity throughout your day.

* Keep a list of positive accomplishments. At the end of each day, make a list of things you’ve done that day or accomplishments you’ve reached. It could be things you’ve gotten done that day, or other positive things like making a co-worker smile or having a good idea. Just write down anything positive that happened or that you did. This will help reinforce your positive thinking and energize you for tomorrow.

If you take even small steps to improve your thoughts, you’ll soon find success much easier to attain. And even if things don’t go your way, don’t get discouraged – just keep it up.