“Every day may not be a good day, but there is something good in every day.” – Alice Morse Earle
At some point in our lives, we’ve all been asked whether a glass is half full, or half empty. An optimist will answer with the former, while a pessimist will choose the latter. Why does it matter if you’re an optimist or a pessimist? The simple fact is optimism creates opportunity and pessimism kills it. Research has found that seeing the glass half full not only makes you happier, it makes you healthier and wealthier. In 2010, researchers studied the results of 83 scientific studies measuring the impact of optimism on physical health. Whether an individual study looked at overall longevity, survival from a disease, heart health, immunity, cancer outcomes, pregnancy outcomes or pain tolerance, those who had a more optimistic outlook had better outcomes than those who were pessimistic. So how do we consistently maintain an optimistic outlook on life? Let’s take a look at the different ways to promote positive thinking.
Believe in yourself
“Inhale confidence, exhale doubt.”- Unknown
Successful people have deep self-confidence. It has been shown that self-belief is more important than education, intelligence or connections for life-long achievement. The first step toward a more positive outlook is your conviction that you are capable of significant achievement or that you are capable of doing anything you put your mind to.
Set Goals
“If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal – you have a wish.” -Steve Maraboli
Start out each day with ambitious and achievable goals. When you don’t have a plan, you will be uncertain on how to reach your destination. Relying on luck or instinct to get you to where you want to be in life is like driving in a foreign country without a GPS.
Talk to yourself
“I never lose, I either win or learn.”- Nelson Mandela
Become your own motivational speaker by thinking positive thoughts throughout the day. Giving your subconscious mind the right guidance will help you achieve any goal. For example, start out every morning by saying, “I can and I will.” Self-doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. If you happen to falter and things don’t go as planned, take responsibility and say, “that was my fault, I will learn from my mistake and become even better next time.”
Surround yourself with positive people
“People inspire you, or they drain you. Pick them wisely.” -Hans F. Hasen.
Consistently staying positive is, ultimately, an individual choice; however, every choice is influenced by the people in our lives. Positive influencers practice gratitude, seek joy daily and focus on becoming the best they can possibly be. On the other hand, there are negative influencers. These are the people that have a cynical outlook on life and could potentially cause you to do the same. They tend to see stress as a threat rather than a challenge to embrace.
Practice Gratitude
“Gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty.” – Doris Day
Similar to writing down your daily goals, you should take the time to draw up an assets and liabilities sheet on your life. It is more than likely that your assets will far outweigh your liabilities. Unfortunately, it is in our nature to take the good things in our lives for granted and focus on what we lack instead.
The power of positive thinking is something that can change one’s life immensely. Many people struggle to understand the power of thoughts because they live every day on autopilot, doing most things out of habit and, therefore, subconsciously create a negative reality. Remember, you choose your thoughts, your behavior and the outcome. Ultimately, every choice you make determines how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. Always believe you have the strength to lift mountains and a spirit to take on the world!