Do you have a habit of negative thinking? Do you routinely tend to expect the worst to happen? This type of mind-set is fairly common and often proves difficult to change until you finally decide you've had enough of it. Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to breed and multiply on their own. It becomes

an unconscious habit. Changing to more positive thinking patterns is possible, but requires a bit of patience and persistence until the positive thoughts begin to take over.

If you want to begin forming positive expectations on a daily basis, you'll find the following steps helpful:

First of all you will need to develop self-awareness to recognize negative expectations. As already mentioned , a problem with negative thoughts is that they often form below your conscious level of awareness, and you get so used to them being in your head that you hardly notice anymore. To turn the tide of negativity, you'll have to develop a stronger level of self-awareness. One good way to start is by performing self-checks several times a day. Pay attention first to how you feel. If you're feeling positive and productive, most likely you've been thinking positive thoughts.

However, if you notice that you're feeling irritable, pessimistic or stressed, you're probably focusing more on negative thoughts. When that happens:

• Challenge and change the negative thoughts. Believe it or not, it's fairly easy to challenge and change negative thoughts with a little willpower and concentration. For example, if you find yourself feeling doubtful about your ability to finish your work on time, you might engage in a bit of self-talk like this: "Okay, so I'm feeling a bit worried right now, but really everything is okay. I'm strong, I'm smart and I'm capable of finishing my work on time. I'll do my best and everything will work out fine." Even though nothing has changed in your outer circumstances, this type of self-talk can get you thinking and feeling more positive.