Are You Optimistic?

There's an upside. It's optimism!

Optimism is sometimes frowned upon because it seems sort of whimsical to some people. What I mean is, optimism is looked at as a "fake" way of dealing with life, an "unrealistic" approach to things. Well, I differ from that train of thought, and I'll tell you why.

The most workable definition of optimism is "being hopeful and confident about the future."

First of all, optimism is not pretending to be happy about everything or pretending that everything in life is okay when it isn't. Instead, it's an everyday, realistic approach to things with an attitude of confidence toward the outcome or results. It doesn't mean that you always get a good result. It means that you keep your attitude and actions working in a positive and productive manner however things are going.

Secondly, optimism means re-learning how we assess stuff. We easily buy into negative narratives and find ourselves speaking it and acting on that belief, whether it's true or not. Negativity is much easier to internalize because we don't take the time to investigate the truth of it or the non-value of it. When we learn to spin our thinking toward positive truths, we can start to look at life with more hope and confidence, even when things aren't going well.

Lastly, optimism represents a point of view. When life has knocked us down and out, our perspective is going to be critical. If our point of view from that place is unhealthy, we may never get back up. However, if we change our point of view to getting UP, getting THROUGH, getting OVER, getting OUT, and moving FORWARD, we've changed the game plan. That kind of optimism opens doors, windows and pathways for the future.

Are you optimistic? Remember, it's a mindset. Optimism will always make headway for better things. Try it. ~ S.R.F.

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