Yes, I borrowed this. But when you can't say it any better...thanks Marc and Angel!
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Optimist: Person who travels on nothing
from nowhere to happiness.
–Mark Twain
Some people are more optimistic by nature, but optimism is not a
fixed attribute. It’s a choice we have control over. Every morning, we
either choose to wake up grumpy or wake up with a positive outlook.
Research has shown that, in the long run, optimistic people handle
stress better, get sick less often, live longer, and are happier and
more successful than their pessimistic counterparts.
The good news is that we can all develop skills to improve optimism. Here are nine ideas to get you started:
1. Find the opportunity in every difficulty.
‘Optimist’ is a word which here refers to a person who focuses on the
positive. For instance, if an optimist lost her left arm in a car
accident, she might say in a hopeful voice, “I’m alive. I don’t have my
left arm anymore, but I do have my right one, and my life still to
live.”
Optimism does not mean ignoring the problem entirely; it means
understanding that setbacks are inevitable, often temporary, and that
you have the skills and abilities to combat the challenges you face.
What you are dealing with may be difficult, but it is important to
remain hopeful and positive about a brighter future. Optimism will
inspire a sense of hopefulness and the confidence that is required to
take full advantage of the opportunities that do exist. Remember, the
most beautiful rainbows come from the sunlight after a very dark storm.
Read Full Catastrophe Living
.
2. Surround yourself with positive people.
You are only as good as the company you keep. If you’re around
gloomy people, there’s a good chance you won’t to be smiling. Make it
your mission to dodge
negativity. Surround
yourself with supportive friends who have positive outlooks. As they
say, if you want to soar with the eagles, you have to stop hanging out
with the ducks.
Optimism is a learned habit, and it is positively contagious.
Surround yourself with people who could infect you with positivity. In
turn pass your new good mood on to a friend or stranger in words and
deed – let somebody have that parking space, let that person with only a
few items cut in front of you at the market. The simple act of doing
something nice for others is actually a good pick-me-up all by itself.
3. Give love, receive love, and invest in love.
LOVE: It’s the greatest force in the universe. It’s a treasure that
people would give anything for, yet it costs nothing to give and
receive. There is an endless supply, and it can be extended to family,
friends and strangers at any moment. It increases positivity and acts
like a shield against negativity. It forgives, heals, encourages and
inspires.
Give love, receive love and invest in love every day. Because where you invest your love,
you invest your life.
4. Be realistic, and expect ups and downs.
A foundation of realism keeps things in perspective, and helps
prevent things from being blown out of proportion. Just because you’re
an optimist doesn’t mean you’re not going to have bad days. You will –
that’s reality. Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies.
Trying to be 100% positive all the time is wanting to be an ocean in
which waves only rise up and never come crashing down. However, when we
recognize that the rising and crashing waves are part of the same one
ocean, we are able to let go and be at peace with the way things are.
Bottom line: Prepare for the worst but hope for the best – the
former makes you sensible, and the latter makes you an optimist.
Read Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality
.
5. Inspire yourself with a smile and positive reminders.
If you expect the worst, the worst will happen. If you let things
bother you, they will. But if you smile, you’ll feel better. Studies
have shown that putting a cheerful smile on your face can trigger a part
of your brain that actually makes you feel happier and more optimistic
about the present and future.
Also, feed your optimism with positive reminders. Write down short
statements that inspire optimism. Put them in places where you’ll see
them every day, such as on your bathroom mirror, the inside of your
locker, and on your computer monitor.
- “Anything is possible.”
- “Lead a life of positivity.”
- “The only thing I can control is my attitude towards life.”
- “I always have a choice.”
- “Even the longest journey begins with a single step.”
- “I will look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism shine.”
Read The Happiness Project
.
6. Work on the things you can control.
Pessimism is impractical because it causes you to spend time dwelling
on negative things that haven’t happened yet, while simultaneously
preventing you from getting things done now. Pessimism breeds
indecision. It’s a waste of time, and time is a limited resource that
you can’t afford to take for granted. Every minute spent worrying
guarantees nothing but less time to enjoy what life has to offer.
The solution? Acknowledge the things you can’t control and don’t
become a victim. Stop thinking about what is happening to you, and
start thinking about what you can do to make it better. Know that you
almost always have a choice. Is your job a bummer? Find a new one. Not
ready to leave because of your 401K and vacation time? Then celebrate
those reasons and remember that you chose to stay.
7. Count your blessings.
There is so much good, so much beauty, so much love in your life.
You have so much right now to be thankful for,
you just need to pause long enough to appreciate it. Do so. This will
help frame a better attitude and take your mind off of the negatives.
Start a feel-good journal. Buy a blank journal and fill it with
things that make you smile, like a photo of your pet, or a compliment a
friend gave you. Use it to track your accomplishments and celebrate
your victories. Stick only positive things in your journal and open it
up whenever you’re feeling down.
8. Appreciate that nothing in life is permanent.
Research has shown that optimists and pessimists attribute the
reasons for success and failure differently. Pessimists tend to
attribute negative events to permanent, personal, and pervasive
factors. Optimists tend to attribute negative events to non-personal,
non-permanent, and non-pervasive factors. ‘Permanent’ are factors that
will be with you throughout life; ‘personal’ are factors that relate to
us as individuals; and ‘pervasive’ are factors that affect our ability
in other parts of our life.
Bottom line: Nothing is permanent. However good or bad a situation is now, it will change.
9. Focus on the present.
People often obsess themselves with the past and the future. But
life is happening right now. You can’t learn something or remember
something that’s happening now if your mind is stuck in another time.
It takes about eight seconds of intense focus to process a new piece
of information into your long-term memory. So don’t let your life and
your mind slip away. Instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about
the future, practice being and living in the present moment. Remember,
right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life.
Don’t miss it.
So, who's with me?
