Optimists often have many benefits such as being high achievers and generally, tend to be healthier. Embracing optimism can be challenging but with a few mental shifts, anyone can lead a more optimistic life. Continue reading below for some tips on embracing optimism.
Now, more than ever, seems both a challenging and imperative time to embrace optimism. Not in spite of reality, but because of it. That’s not to say we should take up living in denial of the unknowns, worries, and stressors of life during a global pandemic and everything else we have been challenged with. Instead, it’s to say that we stand to gain richly from focusing not just on the cracks in the foundations of our lives wrecked by events like Covid-19, but the light that shines through them. Sometimes, it’s the scariest, most upturning moments in life that are the richest opportunities for reminding us who we are, what we are capable of, and what we value most. This is where optimism plays its vital role.
The benefits of an optimistic outlook are abundant: optimists are higher achievers, have better overall health and tend to feel more successful, grateful, and fulfilled.
Optimism is an attitude a person can choose to learn. According to author Martin Seligman, Learned optimism is the idea in positive psychology that a talent for joy, like any other, can be cultivated.
Here are some tips on how to cultivate optimism in your day to day life:
- Choose a positive attitude no matter what is happening around you.
- Choose to interpret situations on the positive side.
- Have hope — believe in a positive future.
- Let your visions inspire you and pull you into the future.
Optimism doesn’t mean pretending life is always wonderful. Optimism means embracing reality. Choosing to be more optimistic can be both mentally and physically beneficial. Next time you’re having a bad day, try to choose to look on the bright side!