Sometimes it’s hard to be optimistic when Life continuously throws challenges and obstacles your way. But, it is not impossible. Optimism is a choice. It is a choice that you have to make every day to improve your life. It can be learned even when you consider yourself the most pessimist person in the entire world.
Man has always been desirous of a perfect life. But when life pushes you into the depths of despair optimism is the first thing that evades your life. In such trying circumstances if you remain optimism you’ll be able to see a glass half full not the other way round. Optimistic people tend to live a successful, happy, and healthy life. Being optimistic helps you in life in numerous ways. It comes with surprising benefits. But ‘How to be an optimistic person’. To cultivate optimism you need to change your outlook of life. Today we will be discussing a few key rules that will help you to be optimistic in life.
How do you choose optimism – Ways to be positive and optimistic
You have to make choices daily. Whether it’s just laying on bed the whole day, feeling sad and depressed. Or deciding to turn your failures into success by not quitting the game. It is all up to you. Today you can choose to be optimistic about the future by adopting these key rules which will help you be more positive and optimistic and you’ll start looking at the positive side of the picture.
1- Challenge negative thoughts rather than falling prey to them
Although you try to restrain yourself from all the negative thoughts, they still clutter your head and blurs your perspective of life oftentimes. There is this very fine line between being optimistic or pessimistic. At one moment you feel upbeat and positive about life. But the very next moment you begin to feel gloom-ridden and negative about your life endeavours as you have been defeated all your life.
This attitude is normal somehow as we are a part of this era where it’s okay to showcase your abilities, success, riches, etc. and make others feel dejected. You bog yourself down into regrets and envy, being ungrateful towards every blessing nature has bestowed you with. But this is cancer to your growth, abilities, and catharsis. You need to stop the negative thoughts right when they pop in your mind. Be mindful of what you are feeding your mind. Develop a realistically healthy outlook of life rather than being exaggeratingly negative. Being optimistic means having a positive outlook of life that will eventually inspire you to learn and grow towards achieving your desired goals.
2- Imagining a positive future is a sure way to be optimistic.
In this era, which is nothing but an endless fixture of capital and power, it has become impossible not to think about your present and future. There is continuous chitter-chatter that clutters your head which is all about, “what is going to happen next?” You tend to compare yourself with others. Ultimately regardless of pondering upon all differences between you and the person you are comparing yourself to, you dwell onto the fact that the whole world is somehow a better place than you are. You start thinking about all the opportunities and chances that others got in life but you didn’t.
Another way around, you start thinking of your future. Visualizing yourself as a failure because of the increasingly negative thoughts that occupy your head and cease to go away. Such negative thinking and self-loathing are extremely dangerous to your self-esteem and growth. You tend to shy away from your relatives and friends considering yourself worthless in comparison to them. Remember that you are your best and worst critic. No one knows about the real potential you hold within. If you are not good at one thing don’t automatically assume failure while trying the other thing. Be constructive and never indulge in self-pity.
To be optimistic about the future, learn how to be less critical of yourself, and try not to predict your failures. Predicting defeats is nothing but a pessimist approach that leads towards self-loathing.
3- Choose optimism by focusing on what you have achieved not on what you lost.
Let me tell you one thing which I have learned through my life endeavours and from the times I always fell short, to be an optimist is a lot harder than thinking like a pessimist. I spent hours thinking ‘how do I turn my pessimism into optimism’ and ‘how can I be more positive and optimistic’. Optimism and pessimism are not ideologies or not something which is inborn. You learn to adapt to think in a particular way which is either inclined towards positivity or negativity.
It is quite easy to focus on what you don’t have rather than focusing on what you have. We tend to undermine our blessings and capabilities the moment we see someone higher than us. However, this attitude towards life is nothing but a cause of mental and physical illness. Being optimistic helps you in every aspect of your life. Having a positive outlook on life will not only give you satisfaction but will remove this urge of comparing yourself to others.
An example of optimism;
Let’s have a look at an example regarding’ What is an optimistic person like?’ Let’s say someone or something you hold very close to your heart and soul leaves you stranded. You start to think of your coming days and the void that has been created. But you don’t consider all the lessons you learned, all the memories you have made, all the precious bits of your life you spent laughing together. Instead, you always happen to dwell on melancholy and agony. You always think about your survival which has now become difficult. Feeling hapless and helpless are the constant emotions that fog your brain. It is human nature that when struck by a catastrophe, you ignore all the happy times and good memories and focus on the bad ones only. But you need to overcome pessimism. By overcoming harsh feelings and negativity.
It is only possible when you start to focus upon all the positivity around you and all the things you have achieved. If you focus on the lessons you learned from the mishaps in life. The growth you achieved through dealing with uncertain times. You can change your perspective of life by adopting and practising this will prove to be fruitful in innumerable ways.
4- Surround yourself with positivity to cultivate optimism
Optimism is all about positivity and auspiciousness. It is all about learning how to uproot negativity and suspiciousness which is characterized by hopelessness. Removing negativity and toxicity from your life is the most crucial step to achieving an optimistic outlook of life. Spending your time with people who do nothing but focus on the negative aspects of life, crying and mourning over their failures rather than doing something to turn the tables. It is a sure-fire way to ensure you feel negative too.
You need to surround yourself with positive people who encourage, love and inspire you every day. The people who motivate you to be the best version of yourself. Surround yourself with people who see the positive in you and life in general. Avoid accompanying people whose favourite hobby is nothing more than gossiping and letting others down. Similarly eliminate all the negative influences in your life by reading books, watching movies, and performing activities that boost your morals.
5- Identify your areas of negativity and shift your attention to be optimistic
To think positively, the first initiative that you have to take is to recognize your negative thinking patterns. This is how you will become aware of your thinking process whether it is more inclined towards negativity or positivity. Once you are self-aware then comes the debate of what makes you hooked to the negative speculations and notions.
The subsequent step is to cater to your negative thoughts with an approach that your thought process begins to shift towards more positive aspects. Shifting attention is quite a difficult task. It needs a continuous struggle. Patience is the key to it. You have to juggle with lots of cacophonies cluttering your head. You have to drag your heart which is weary of bearing negativity to fight this battle of optimism and pessimism. And believe me, it is tough but it is worth it. With little resistance towards negativity, more grapple to acquire positivity you can change your outlook to look at your life. Isn’t it amazing?
6- Try to put on a lens that helps you see positive.
When an individual thinks in a certain way, there is a whole social construction and social institution behind it. You look at the world with the lens you have been forced to put on by society. You look at the world through a perspective based on the ideology which has been spoon-fed to you. It’s pretty much responsible for your thinking pattern. So you might be thinking, ‘How to cultivate optimism?’ or even ‘how to change your perspective?’
Self-actualization and self-recognition are what you need to be aware of. Look at the world from your perspective. Don’t just blindly follow anyone. If Life is being unfair to someone, focus on where they are at fault. It is mostly our negligence and ungratefulness that eventually life also treats us like shit. However, you need to change the lens that you were forced to wear for so long. Focus on the positives and life will be great.
7- Surround yourself with people who look at the brighter side of life.
Your body also works on the principle of resonance. It adapts itself according to the frequency it is surrounded by. The more positive frequencies you catch through your surroundings, the more positive person you tend to become. So try to hoard as much as positive energy you could and add more optimists to your network. It will help you grow better. Positivity inspires you in a way that is beyond your expectation. It is so fulfilling and gratifying. You eventually start looking at the brighter side of life.
Optimistic people have such a positive aura that they attract blessings in their life. It is like a magnet. Just change your outlook of life for one day and you’ll be amazed at the contentment you feel. You’ll be more positive and optimistic in life once you start practising positivity. 8- Practice writing a gratitude diary daily Life is a blessing but it comes with its stressors.
Throughout the day if you go through one unfortunate event that shifts your mood completely, you come across several worthwhile events as well. It might be easier said than done to stay grateful while life bombards with you with its day to day stressors. But practice makes a man perfect, Right?
Waking up to the morning sunshine comfortably in your bed. Having clean water and electricity at your home. Having food to eat and clothes to cover your body. There are millions of people around the world who do not have even these necessities. Reminding yourself of these blessings daily is a sure way to boost your optimism. You can even go ahead and try writing a gratitude diary at the end of the day. Make a list of 5 or 10 things that you learned and are grateful for. Be grateful for having caring and supportive friends and family. Appreciate them and make them realize their value in your life. Practising gratitude daily also comes with a myriad of physical benefits along with the mental benefits. Nonetheless writing down what you are grateful for is linked to greater feelings of positivity and optimism.
9- Don’t dwell on the past rather forget and move ahead
There are times in your life which you just wish for never happened. There will be times ahead when you wouldn’t want to act a certain way but you will. Life is uncertain. Our behaviour and attitude are uncertain as well. Even if you mentally prepare yourself to stay calm and composed in a certain situation you will act differently in reality. That’s how humans are. You act according to your instincts. But you make mistakes and blunders. You are not meant to be perfect. Being optimistic means learning from every past mistake and trying not to make it again in the future.
What is gone is gone and there is no point in blaming yourself or others. You can change the situation the way you deal with it. So saying, ‘I should have done this’ rather move on. Yesterday can’t be changed but tomorrow can be made better by avoiding the same mistakes. Focus on your present and live in the moment to be optimistic.
What are the benefits of being optimistic?
If you are still wondering ‘how does being optimistic help you’, read further to gain some insights about the significance of optimism. If you are optimistic, you become more grateful, humbled, and appreciative of all the favours nature has granted you. You are always at peace because you are hopeful. You always look at the brighter aspects of life and if you are having a hard time doing it here are some ways to look at the brighter side of life.
Scientific studies have also proven that optimism has a great impact on your physical and mental resilience. Science also shows that those who have an optimistic outlook tend to be more proactive when it comes to their health. They have better cardiovascular health and a better immune system. They earn a higher income and have more successful relationships. So, try to be more optimistic because life is too short to waste it in negativity.
Conclusion:-
Optimism is a choice. You should choose to be optimistic to reap all the benefits that come with it. Every life has its ups and downs but having an optimistic outlook of life will keep you afloat even in uncertain situations. It is a key component in managing stress. Train your brain to choose optimism by practising these simple steps daily and see the wonders it does.
