‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ Quote by Winston Churchill.
I have always been a very optimistic person and believe it is ‘good for our souls’ to see the good in people, not focus on the negative and I expect good things to happen.
‘Optimism is a mental attitude reflecting belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavour, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favourable and desirable.’ This is the definition from Wikipedia.
What type of person are you? A glass half full type or a glass half empty person?
Research shows that the more optimistic you are, the happier and healthier you can become. There are studies that show the people who were more optimistic at the age of 25 are much healthier at the age of 45 and 60 than more pessimistic individuals. The more optimistic among us tend to live longer, experience less stress and deal with it better, are more resilient to setbacks and focus on making positive changes in our lives. We are more focused on our goals and report higher levels of well-being than our more pessimistic friends and colleagues.
And the good news is that we can teach ‘learned optimism techniques’ to significantly reduce depression! This idea was introduced by Martin Seligman in his book, aptly titled ’Learned Optimism’
Idea for today: Think about a recent difficulty you have faced. It could be related to your job, family, health?
First focus on the thoughts that you had…”I will never be able to sort this.” “This is too big for me to tackle.”
What impact did those beliefs have on your actions? Were they positive or negative? Did you try a solution or sit back and do nothing?
If you sat back and did nothing, now dispute those beliefs and think of one thing you could do to get nearer a more positive solution. It can be tiny, but if you take that step you will feel energised and motivated to take another, then another…
It will take time but gradually you can focus on the progress you have made and feel proud of your achievements. You may not be able to solve the entire problem, it may be too big and out of your hands, but by being proactive and optimistic you will have done everything you can to find that solution and be able to say…”I did my very best!”
Want to Explore this Further?
Watch this video
Take Action
If you want to work with me to increase your ‘optimism’, contact me on isabel@norfolklifecoach.co.uk
Or visit my website https://www.norfolklifecoach.co.uk
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