“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." – Winston Churchill
Optimists think positively. They focus on what they really want, rather than on potentially negative outcomes. An optimist, when faced with a problem, tends to find the upside to the situation and starts figuring out ways to solve the issue, or ways to turn it around. A pessimist, however, immediately throws up her hands and declares, “That’s it, it’s all over. I can’t handle this anymore,” or she'll distance herself from the problem, pretending that it doesn’t matter.
According to the world's foremost expert on optimism and founder of positive psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman, everyone is born optimistic. Yet so many of us grow up to be pessimistic adults. Thankfully, however, optimism can be learned and we can train ourselves to adopt a more optimistic mindset. It takes effort and a deliberate, conscious awareness of our thoughts and feelings, but it's definitely a skill worth acquiring when you consider the many benefits:
Optimists achieve their goals because they never give up. Optimists attract success naturally. Optimists are happier, healthier and more energetic than pessimists.
Optimists are easier to be around; inspiring people around them to also be positive.
Optimists live longer and suffer from fewer and less severe diseases.
Optimists experience a higher quality of life.
Importantly, optimism works as a kind of self fulfilling prophecy -things often turn out according to how we feel about the situation. If a person thinks that something will go well and feels optimistic about it, it usually seems to go well. The same is true of the reverse -when someone feels like something will go badly, it tends to do just that.
True optimism is all about how you see the world -facing each situation, each problem and each occasion with a positive attitude and looking for the benefits you can derive from it. Choosing to be optimistic and positive doesn't mean you won’t encounter difficult times, trauma, loss and the normal challenges that life brings. What it does mean is that you will have more power to help you through those tough times. You’ll become proactive, instead of reactive, and in turn, become more resilient, make better choices and, ultimately, be a happier person.
There's no better time to start practising optimism than today! So each time you find yourself having a pessimistic thought, consciously stop yourself and think about any positive aspects of the situation, however small they might be. Try to turn this into a regular habit, so that you gradually begin to feel more positive and upbeat about your life. Once you start reaping the benefits, you'll wonder why you left it so long to actively leave your pessimism behind!