An optimist Thinks The Glass is Half Full
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
~ Winston Churchill
Each of us have experienced serious personal, sometimes life-altering situations when things don't work out the way we hoped. That doesn't mean the situation or the outcomes define who we are, what we are capable of, or that accepting the results as inevitable is a foregone conclusion.
Optimistic people tend to look at each situation and say to themselves, what can I lean from this, how can I use this information or experience to get a better outcome in the future?
Pessimistic people tend to accept problems or setbacks and think, that's just the way it is, it always happens to me, it won't work, or there's nothing I can do about it.
Cultivating an attitude of optimism
An attitude of optimism not only makes us happier, it can also boost our heath, speed a recovery from sickness, instill a sense of well-being, influence our degree of success and even our relationships.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center found that heart disease patients who scored high in an optimism survey had the best medical outcomes and follow-ups years later found them generally more happy about themselves and they were making better lifestyle choices.
A study of dating couples published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology revealed that optimists are less likely to fight with their significant others.
Finding something positive in any situation
Research indicates that an optimistic attitude improves coping skills and may ward off colds and prevent depression. In the past 50 years, the study of optimism has clearly documented that given a life threatening illness, those who choose an optimistic view on their condition had substantially better outcomes vs. those who choose to be pessimistic and resigned to their condition.
Nurturing optimism
Identify aspects of your life you feel negatively about and focus on positive ways to improve them. Monitor your thoughts and when you catch yourself thinking in negative terms, reframe your thoughts in a more positive way.
The more frequently we think in positive terms, the more likely we are to experience positive outcomes. Researchers have identified laughter as being good for us (who knew!)and most of us know we feel better about ourselves and the world around us when we can laugh. Keeping a sense of humour defuses stress. Nurture and follow habits that are healthy. Exercise is a proven mood lifter and nutrient-dense foods nourish our mind as well as our body. Find and associate yourself with positive people. Negative people tend to "bring us down" and undermine our ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
What's your self-talk saying to you
The endless stream of unspoken thoughts that runs through our heads all day every day is known as self-talk. If we constantly frame our thoughts in a positive, supportive point of view, it is much more likely to lead to great or at least more positive results. The opposite is also true, if we tend to think in negative terms, our mind will help us achieve them, so frame thoughts positively and goods things are more likely to follow.
Would you think uncharitable thoughts about a good friend? Treat yourself kindly too!
| Negative Self-talk | Positive Thinking |
| I've never done it before. | It's an opportunity to learn something new. |
| It's too complicated. | I'll tackle it from a different angle. |
| I don't have the resources. | Necessity is the mother of invention. |
| I'm too lazy to get this done. | I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule but can re-examine some priorities. |
| There's no way it will work. | I can try to make it work. |
| It's too radical a change. | Let's take a chance. |
| No one bothers to communicate with me. | I'll see if I can open the channels of communication. |
| I'm not going to get any better at this. | I'll give it another try. |
Health benefits of positive thinking
Mayo Clinic: Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health, and the health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
Researchers remain unclear as to why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits, though the results speak for themselves.
Without a doubt
From my first client in Aug 1994, I have assessed, designed holistic health and nutrition programs and counselled thousands of people.
While most people experience improvements, those who maintained a positive attitude enjoyed substantially faster and more complete results.