To become an optimist, we must first understand what it means. Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Optimism is the act of finding the good in every situation, especially the not-so-good ones. To be an optimist, you must be willing to fail and learn from all of your experiences.
It is crucial to understand that being an optimist does not mean engaging in wishful thinking or living in a fantasy. That attitude will often lead to let down or feeling of defeat — life isn’t always going to be perfect and we must accept and grow from that.
Let’s take it back to the old glass half full or half empty metaphor. It is said that pessimists interpret the glass half empty, meaning they have a negative outlook on life. Optimists, however, are said to interpret the glass half full, meaning they have a more positive outlook on life. There is a lot more to this.
Optimism is goes beyond having a positive outlook or giving your life a positive spin. It is about believing that you can and will take action to make your life all that you want it to be. Optimism is not just a mindset and instead, it is understanding what you want to change, believing you can make that change, and then taking the steps to do so.
Luckily, on average, human beings are hardwired to be more optimistic than not, according to Psychology Today. Now, let’s get into some ways you can begin your journey to becoming a healthy optimist.
1. Create positive mantras.
Happiness and good fortune, or lack thereof, cannot always be attributed to external factors.
Of course, the is the easy thing to do is to blame the world for all of our problems. But the reality is, we are often the ones holding ourselves back.
Ditch the mentality that the universe is responsible for all of the negative in your life, because this thought is what may be limiting you. Tell yourself that you are worthy and actually believe it. Create and recite positive mantras to yourself every day and you will see the shift.
When you believe you are good enough, the universe will too and good things will come your way.
2. Focus on the positive and challenge the negative.
Our interpretation of the events that happen in our life is what makes us feel a certain way. When positive things happen in your life, celebrate all of them. You must focus on even the smallest positive things, something that all optimists do.
With that, you must challenge the negative. As I said previously, our interpretation of situations is what matters. If something bad happens in life, do not ignore it or try to push it away. Instead, challenge it. Try to learn from it and make changes or turn negative situations to have a positive outcome.
3. Live in the present and don’t dwell in the past.
And I mean live. Optimists do not just exist. They actually live each moment of their lives. You must be present in every situation so that you are always learning from and absorbing the world around you.
You must also never dwell in the past. The past is the past and no matter how much you think about it, you cannot change it. What is most important is how you deal with it and that you move forward.
An optimist will never live in the past. They will take it for what it is, learn from it and take the steps to better their future. Remember that what is gone is gone and tomorrow is a new day!
4. Practice gratitude.
We often tend to remember all of the tiny negative things that occur throughout our day. Spilling our coffee, not setting our alarm clock or getting to work late.
But how often do we remember the first sip of our delicious coffee, our ringing alarm clock or getting to work on time? Thank yourself and the world for all of the tiny positive things that occur throughout your day.
To shift your mindset, make conscious efforts to recognize the positives and list the things you are grateful for every day.
5. Give yourself some credit.
Always give yourself credit! You are where you are because of you. Celebrate yourself and your successes every day. When you show yourself love, you will feel better and more good will come to you.
Always remember that tomorrow is a new day that will be filled with new opportunities for happiness, love, success and new-found positivity.
Reflect & Refresh 