Each one of us determines whether we will have a good day or a bad one. You may think that external forces can change the direction we choose, and you would be right - to an extent. But in the end, it all depends on our reaction to a situation, and unless it's an extreme circumstance such as the loss of a loved one, we can easily mold the outcome.

How, you may ask? Harness the power of positive thinking and the words "I choose to".

How beneficial is positive thinking? It's an enabler and a tool to motivate us in the right direction. By having a positive outlook, it will return to us. Good things will happen.

Think of it this way: a co-worker is having a bad day and everything out of their mouth is negative. If you allow it to, you'll find yourself with the same complaining attitude. Their bad mood soured your day. Therefore, working in reverse, if you refuse to allow their outlook to affect your determination to have a good day, your positivity will rub off on them.

Challenge: Go into work resolved to have a good day - choose to. Greet everyone with a smile and "Good morning" and see how they react. Some may not be infused yet, but you've laid the basis. If they scowl or say something like "yep", or deflect your positivity with a negative shield, do not allow it to penetrate. When people complain during the day, be tactful yet positive and try to realign their outlook. For example, a co-worker is irritated because another department keeps messing up, leaving them to rectify things. Could you say something like, "Oh, will you even care about this a year from now?", or "You know it's going to happen every day, don't let it get to you so much. You can't change them, but you can change how you react. Will you care about this once you go home tonight?" Offer your words, your kind correction of attitude, with a sincere smile. You might get a mumble initially, but I find for the most part people want to be happy and a gentle reminder such as this can change the tone significantly.

Benefits to being a positive thinker is you will better cope with stress and be healthier for it. "Researchers have even found that people who were optimistic about a specific and important part of their lives, such as how well they were doing in school, exhibited a stronger immune response than those who had a more negative view of the situation." And we know that stress and depression can lead to numerous health problems ranging from minor to life-threatening.

This leads us to the second point of how we determine whether or not we have a good day. CHOOSE TO. Powerful words if you really think about them, life-changing if you allow them to be.

You may have no choice when it comes to working for a living, most of us have to. We do, however, have some choice when it comes to our place and position of employment. But, even if you find yourself in employment that isn't your ideal situation, make the best of it. BE HAPPY IN THE NOW.

Remember that you may not be able to change your circumstances, or those around you, but you do have control and the ability to change one thing - yourself. Be accepting this fact, the moods and actions of those around will hold less impact. You will find an inner strength of being, which will allow you to keep your positive frame of mind.

One way to further cement your commitment to being a positive person is go to the root of your passions. What are you passionate about? When you think of an activity that brings you immense pleasure, what is it? Has your passion been squashed out of your life by other responsibilities? Have you let it slip to the background? If your passion is writing or something in the arts, do you allow critiques to diminish your deriving of joy?

If you know there are obstructions to your pursuing your passions, only you can change it. Narrow in on exactly what is causing this, and then CHOOSE TO push beyond any barriers.

As discussed above, we do have the choice as to which direction our life will go, and on a smaller level how each day and every interaction will go. While it's true we encounter unpleasant conflicts in life, it's what we do with these that matter.

Here are a few tips to reignite our passion(s):

CHOOSE TO be positive.

Sadly, there are a lot of unhappy people that hate to see others pursuing their dreams and passions. They will shrug their shoulders when you express your excitement, and maybe they'll discount you with an attitude that communicates "you won't go anywhere with this".

But remember, even if these reactions are truly negative (and not self-imposed, coming from a negativity within yourself and being projected) you have the choice on how to respond. Dig down to the core of your passion, analyze how it makes you feel, how it makes you a better and more positive person, how it de-stresses you, how it infuses you with purpose. By realizing how important this aspect of your life is, you will not let the "naysayers" dissuade you.

You will not let these people have power over you. YOU control YOUR life, YOUR passions. No one can dredge that from your soul - unless you allow them to.

CHOOSE TO learn from obstacles.

There's no way around it, you will face obstacles. It is what you do with them.
Do you let every negative encounter get you down? Do you let larger setbacks stop the pursuit of your passion?

If so, I'm sad for you and hope this post will help reignite your determination to be true to yourself. We have to utilize these conflicts and make them work for us. Instead of focusing on the negative, "I give up", focus on the positive: what can I learn from this? In looking at things this way we empower ourselves, not the situation.

CHOOSE TO be unwavering.

Building on the previous point, by empowering ourselves, we are not expelling our energy in vain. We will have energy to pursue our passion. We will make it happen! And when we make it happen, we shine!