It’s been proven throughout history that the more positive you are, the more productive and successful you can be. However, positivity isn’t something that happens overnight. When you balance out all aspects of your life and focus on the things that make you healthy and happy, positivity comes naturally.

From exercising more to practicing empathy and sharing with others, there are several ways you can shift your focus each day in order to become a more positive person. Here, 12 members of Business Journals Leadership Trust discuss the things they do each day to inject more positivity into their lives.

1. Set achievable goals.
Have achievable goals and work toward them. Reaching a goal that you’ve been working on will definitely make you feel good about yourself, whether it’s a big or small one. As a result, you will feel more self-confident and have a positive “can-do” mindset. You can simply start by making a promise to yourself and keeping it. For example, “I will wake up at 6 a.m. every day.” – Vic Peram, Veritis Group Inc.

2. Invest in setting a time for daily exercise.
Working out is critical. It is such a well-trodden practice that’s often skipped over. Every part of our day is often scheduled and dedicated to a specific activity and it is so easy to just keep going and skip your personal care. I started investing the same amount of effort and importance in going to a daily workout as I do my client meetings and it has done a great deal to improve my mood, focus and energy. – Nathan Fisher, Mindshare Capture Consulting

3. Find the time to connect with loved ones.
For me personally, finding time to connect with loved ones always seems to put me in a great mood. Secondly, carving out time during the day to meditate allows me to clear my mind of all negativity and refocus on the tasks at hand. Oddly enough, I find It is the little things that seem to make the largest difference. – Robert McCray, Vantage Realty Capital

4. Operate with a pro-achieving attitude.
For me, attitude is everything. Outside things may influence my attitude, but I am the “owner” who controls it. I’ve chosen to operate with what I call a “pro-achieving attitude,” which is different from a “can-do” or positive attitude. My emphasis is on doing things just a little bit better than is expected and with the sole purpose of adding value. – Deborah Bright, Bright Enterprises

5. Make sure that you are well-rested.
A simple way to inject more positivity into your life is to make sure you are well-rested! A well-rested person can take on whatever the day brings in stride and a balanced approach, but if you aren’t feeling your best, it’s more difficult to bring your A-game. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising

6. Maintain your overall health.
Each morning I go for a walk. I pause halfway through to read something uplifting. Working out has been a very important part of keeping myself sane and grounded during hectic times professionally. Also, getting enough sleep and spending time with my family while participating actively in my religion have been key. – Jared Knisley, Fizen Technology

7. Meditate in the transitions.
I have been using meditation in the transition from home to work, and then later from work to home. I found that I carried a lot of stress from my personal to professional life and vice-versa, so I meditate to recalibrate and go into the next phase of my day with an open mind and heart. It has been all positive by reducing stress and also helping me make better decisions. – Christopher Tompkins, The Go! Agency

8. See the real meaning in the work you do.
As a business owner, there are a lot of data and metrics to look at. It is not always fun. It is important to look beyond the information and see the real meaning behind the work that you do. Owning a business is hard, but if you work to keep in touch with the meaning of your work the positivity is there. – Mackenzie Toland, A New Leaf Therapeutic Services PLLC

9. Focus on what you love.
Focus on what you love and delegate the rest. When you choose to do what you love each day, life is a positive explosion worth living. You are in a great mindset to tackle any obstacles and surprises that come your way. – Rachel Namoff, Arapaho Asset Management

10. Focus on being kind to yourself and others.
I focus on being kind. Kindness is the easiest gift to give anyone. And the secret is that it’s the biggest gift you can give yourself. Be kind and give it out everywhere. It is free! – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial

11. Surround yourself with positive people.
As someone who feeds off of the energy of others, I make it a point to surround myself with positive people. It’s easy to fall into a negative spiral when the people around you are consistently being negative, so keeping positive people close has been a game-changer for me. – Matt Haiker, Q Consulting

12. Unplug to focus on family and community.
I try to find balance by unplugging and focusing on my family and community. I also like creating a sense of purpose for my teams beyond the daily grind and limited scope of their roles. We focus on recognizing members for their contributions and giving them opportunities to grow. Finding time to center ourselves, focus on priorities and tap into our communities boosts positivity all around. – Jonathan Ehrenfeld, Blue Ocean