Hello and welcome and today's word is Optimism.
Do you see the glass as half-full or half-empty?
When life throws challenges your way,
Do you dwell on the problems or look for solutions?
Optimism isn't about ignoring reality.
It's much more about choosing to focus on possibility over limitation.
It's about believing that no matter what happens,
You have the power to adapt,
Overcome and create a better future.
Research shows that optimism leads to better health,
Longer life expectancy and greater success and people with a positive outlook are more resilient,
Make better decisions under stress and they recover from setbacks faster possibly because there's less fear driving them forward and that of course is a deal breaker.
So do you focus more on problems or solutions and what would your life look like if you approach challenges with optimism instead of fear?
That's a really wonderful question to focus on today,
To reflect on.
When we look across history,
A couple of nice people I'd like to mention.
One of them is Helen Keller.
She was born blind and deaf.
She really could have been consumed by despair but instead with the guidance of her teacher,
Ann Sullivan,
She embraced unshakable optimism and became an author,
An activist and a symbol of perseverance.
And then we have the wonderful Walt Disney.
Before creating the Disney empire,
Walt faced multiple failures including bankruptcy but he never lost his belief in magic and possibility and optimism and he proved that optimism really does fuel creativity and resilience.
Martin Luther King Jr,
Despite immense opposition,
He maintained an unwavering belief in a better future.
His I have a dream speech is a perfect example of optimism driving action and change.
So optimistic people have a 35% lower risk of heart disease and tend to live longer than pessimists.
Isn't that an interesting statistic?
And the brain can be trained to think more optimistically through gratitude practices and reframing negative thoughts.
And although we as human beings are more inclined to see the negative from a survival perspective,
It's a wonderful activity to start retraining your brain to focus more on the positive and on the optimistic and give yourself the gift of an easier life.
Thomas Edison failed 10,
000 times before perfecting the light bulb and when asked about his failures he said,
I have not failed.
I have just found 10,
000 ways that won't work.
I find that a fabulous little quotation.
So what three things can we do today to get a bit more optimistic in our life?
So the first one I'd like to suggest is that we start reframing negative thoughts.
Notice what you say to people,
Notice your thoughts and instead of perhaps saying,
I can't do this,
Try a phrase like,
I haven't figured it out yet,
But I will.
And just adding the word yet to some of our phrases makes all the difference energetically and on a subconscious level,
It helps us understand that one day we will sort this out.
Number two,
Surround yourself with positivity.
Spend time with uplifting people,
Listen to inspiring podcasts and consume positive content,
Whether songs,
Books,
Movies,
Talks,
People,
Thoughts,
Just surround yourself with optimistic approach.
And number three,
One of my real favorites,
Practice gratitude daily.
Write down three things you're grateful for each day.
Gratitude shifts your focus toward positivity and optimism because it shifts your focus away from what hasn't worked out in a day to what has worked wonderfully and that becomes a new loop and a very positive loop for us to move forward with.
We're going to end today on a quotation by Walt Whitman,
Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.
