Optimism!

Being optimistic means looking at the glass half-full, not half empty. It refers to the ability to put a positive spin on situations. It implies hopefulness, well-being, and confidence that things will turn out for the best. Did you know optimistic people are happier with their lives?

They are also healthier and more successful. They usually are very likable and therefore have more friends. In general, they are more engaged in the world. People with optimism take more action to ensure their success in situations. Who wouldn’t want more joy, well-being, and love?

Can you learn optimism? Absolutely. Here is how I learned and I was only a teen.

My family moved from New York to Texas when I was 15 years old. It was a tough age to move. I hated my new school. I came from a school where I could wear jeans and play guitar sitting in the hallways. In my new school I had to wear dresses, it was more formal, and there was so little to do outside school compared to New York City (at that time Dallas had about 3 movie theaters… I know ..hard to believe)

Then I had a big “AHA” moment.

It was winter break and we had to read the Myth of Sisyphus for an existentialism  class. Sisyphus was punished by the Greek Gods to roll a huge boulder up a hill over and over for eternity just to see it roll down the other side.

In existentialism, it says you are responsible for your own fate. So Sisyphus CHANGED his attitude and concentrated on how incredibly strong he became as he rolled the boulder up the hill. He made it irrelevant that the boulder went down the other side.

The last line of the essay said, Sisyphus is happy.

I decided I wanted to be happy too. If Sisyphus could do it, so could I.

So, I sat down and made a list of everything I liked about Dallas. I completely shifted my thinking to focus on the positive .

I ended up loving where we moved and started loving where I went to school too. And… I have used that attitude in every aspect of my life and it has paid off.

AND I am living in Dallas now AND still have close friends from that school (and they have a lot more movie theaters in Dallas now, thank goodness…).

SO- if you want to learn optimism practice these 3 things.

#1 List the positives of a situation that you are presently  looking at in a negative way.

#2 List what actions you can take to improve the situation .

# 3 Visualize a good outcome for that situation.

Practice these 3 exercises over and over. This way of thinking will become part of who you are. it will become part of your personal development.

Don’t use the excuse, “Well, I have a lot going wrong, so being optimistic is unrealistic “.

One of my favorite relatives, who is now 83,  had a wonderful wife who died giving birth to his son (who is like a brother to me now). Now – it doesn’t get much worse than that. He was left with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old and he is the most optimistic person I know. He is a joy to be around.

So, start practicing optimism and you will be rewarded with more joy and happiness in your life.

Here is a Shirley Temple video on optimism to bring a smile to your face:

Now- go put some positive energy in the world.

Do you have a story about optimism? Please put in the comment box below.

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Tags: 10 steps to happiness, how to be happy, optimism, personal development