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Enjoy Your Life: Change Your Point of View
"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and
one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet
Thoughts
If you’ve been placed second in a poetry competition, will you
jump for joy and aim to find a way to improve your output the next
time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to bother any
more?
In life, you are always faced with choices. You may opt to have a
pessimist’s view and live a self-defeating life or you may decide to
take the optimist’s view and have a challenging and fulfilling
life.
Why should you nurture the optimistic point of view? And why now?
Optimism has been linked to a positive mood and good morale; to
academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to
popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from
trauma. Pessimism, on the other hand, is linked to increased rates
of depression. Depression is no longer a problem, solely, of middle
age, the age of the onset of depression has gone from late 30's to
mid teens. Unemployment, drug usage, boredom, disillusionment with
the system in general can all lead to a pessimistic attitude and in
some cases clinical depression - BUT there is hope, all it takes is
a turn around in attitude. Not always easy, but well worth it in the
long run.
Why it really pays to be an optimist.
Optimists always expect the best - Pessimists just know that
nothing good CAN happen. Optimists are confronted with the same hard
knocks as everyone else. What differs is the way they look at their
misfortune. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback,
that its causes are confined to this one case only, and that they
can learn a lesson from the event. Optimists tend to focus on and
plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive
reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a
negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such
people are unfazed by a bad situation, they perceive it is a
challenge to try harder.They will avoid negative comments like
“things will never get better”, or “my luck is always going to be
bad” and “my life sucks, and always will”. An optimist knows that
comments like this risk being self fulfilling.
The positive expectations of an optimist will invariably bring
about a better outcome while undergoing sudden tragedies or an
unexpected turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They
generally see opportunities instead of obstacles. People respond
positively to optimists. They are good to be around. Optimists are
proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They
find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw
people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be
contagious and influence those they are with. Optimism seems a
socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share
optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic
and hysteria are treated unfavorably.
In life, optimists often win elections; get voted most popular
and are sought for advice. When the going gets tough, optimists get
tougher Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective
well-being during times of stress than do people who are less
optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful
events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with
problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when
difficulties arise.
Optimists persevere, they just don’t give up easily, they are
also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to
that goal or elusive dream. Optimists are healthier and live longer
Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive
outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to
fight disease. Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well,
are much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of
middle and old age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative
thoughts.
Becoming an optimist will be one of the most important steps you
can take on the road to self improvement, because it makes all the
following steps, so much easier. Why not look forward to success in
all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? You are bound to hit some
lows from time to time, just learn from the event and push ahead -
again, and again, and again, if necessary. History is full of
success stories that occurred after a great many attempts.
Those that gave up early, don't make it into history - They ARE
history.
Remember the song from the movie "Life of Brian" - "Always look
on the bright side of life"
Further Self Improvement resources are
available from
The Freedom
Seed
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