People deal with troubling circumstances every day. People typically react with a negative attitude to these issues. Too often though, people take this negative
attitude and make it part of their personality. So, how can we turn our frowns upside down? We need to learn to be optimistic. Let’s examine 4 secrets of optimistic people.
1. They Express Gratitude. Optimistic people rarely talk about what they don’t have; it’s almost always about what they do have. You may not live in your dream house yet, but you can be thankful that you’re not homeless. You may not drive a BMW, but at least you don’t have to ride the bus to work. Do you see the point? Life will NEVER be perfect. It’s all about how you look at it. Most people have it worse that we do. If we want to be optimistic, we need to be thankful for the good we already have, not what we are lacking.
2. They Volunteer. Optimistic people aren’t focused on themselves. This is about shifting the focus from ourselves to others. Just give it a try. Go help an elderly person with some housework. Go visit someone who has been sick or is in the hospital. Studies have shown that people are much more happy and satisfied when they are focusing on helping others and not on their own problems.
3. They Notice the Good. Optimistic people always seem to look on the bright side. They are able to find that silver lining. This isn’t something that comes naturally. This is one part of optimism that we must practice. It is very difficult to look for something positive when you are faced with dreadful situations like death, poverty, and sickness. While it may not appear right away, an optimistic person keeps looking for the positives.
4. They Change Negative Self-Talk. Optimistic people think positively about themselves. Typically, when people look in the mirror they begin to pick out all of their flaws, wish they were different, and insult themselves for not being better. Much of this is spurred on by our culture’s standard for beauty, which is unbelievably distorted. So, what is the point? Don’t be so hard on yourself. No one is flawless. Focus on the good things and change the negative self-talk into positive thoughts about yourself.
Life is so much better when we focus on the positive side. Consider this, we know that God helps us (Matthew 6:25-34), we know that God protects us (2 Corinthians 1:10), and we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of His will (Romans 8:28). God provides these blessings because He wants us to be joyful. He wants us to praise Him for the blessings He provides us with. There are way too many positives in this life to wallow around in all the negatives. Let’s learn to be optimistic people.
(BRETT PETRILLO)