I agree with your post. What kind of hobby(ies) did you take on to help you stay positive?
I like your idea of focusing on better thoughts. My dad used to call it (when I was a kid) replacing a lie with a truth. We are creatures of habit so he said when we have negative thoughts, those are actually habits because they happen without us even thinking first. So he said in order to think positively and "happily" we have to discipline ourselves to replace a lie with a truth.
RE: Best ways to stay positive and how it's changed my life