Self Improvement – The Power Of Optimism

The way we approach our life is the same as how we view a glass of water. When someone sees a glass as being half empty, their outlook is a pessimistic one. The contrary to that is someone who optimistically sees the glass as half full.

We can either choose to have an optimistic outlook or a pessimistic one. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not aware that they habitually think of what’s wrong before thinking about what’s right.

Good Versus Bad.
In our fast – paced, adrenaline – fuelled world, unexpected curve balls are throw our way every day, and along with them come new challenges and emotions. The manner in which we deal with them reveals whether we are optimistic or pessimistic by nature.
People who are pessimistic view bad things as permanent and affecting all areas of their lives. They view good things as happening by chance and believe that it’s unlikely to happen again. For such people, pessimism is usually a guard against the disappointment of unfulfilled dreams, or it represents a fear of what the future holds for them. Thus, pessimists tend to become depressed and have a tendency to drown their sorrows in habits which may be detrimental to their health and well – being.
On the other hand, optimists will choose to look at the silver lining in every cloud. When bad things happen, they will think of it as a temporary setback. They may even approach it pragmatically – viewing a setback as a difficult event which has to happen in order for them to achieve a positive result in the future. They see difficulties as temporary and not lasting forever. As a result, optimists laugh more, have a better sense of humour, and lead more healthy and balanced lives.
So how do we become more optimistic? One way is to be aware of how we describe bad things that happen to us. We all have the power to change how we think and feel about everything. When we challenge ourselves to reframe our existing perspectives and adopt more positive ones, this will immediately alter our internal state of being.

Practise Positioning.
Try this exercise to become more positive in your outlook: Think about a time when you were positive and optimistic. What was it like? Immerse yourself in the memory of how you felt, looked, behaved and thought when you were feeling positive. Visualise and relief that experience as strongly as you can using all of your senses.
When you have done that, come back to the present and pick an “anchor” that you can associate with this positive state of mind. An anchor is something you use as a reminder; it could be as simple as tugging your ear lobe, or a gesture that you can make to immediately call to mind that positive state of being when you’re feeling negative.

“We have the power to change how we think and feel. When we challenge ourselves to reframe our existing perspectives to more positive ones, this will immediately alter our internal state of being.”

Once you have chosen your anchor; go back to the positive experience and engage in living the memory again by visualising how you felt during that time. At the peak of the experience, activate your anchor by tugging on your ear lobe, for example. This will help you form a connection between the feeling of positivity and activating your anchor.

Do this exercise at least three times. Every time you do this, you are training your thought processes to consciously remember this positive feeling. With consistent practice, it will become unconscious because you would have made it a habit, and you will experience a different state of being from when you started out.

The Payback:
Choosing to think positively immediately brings about a change to the conditions around you. It is a choice that you have made. When you frown at the world, all you will see are the frowns you get back. In the same way, when you smile at the world, the world will smile back at you.