How To Be More Optimistic

Research has repeatedly shown that people who think positively or those who are deemed as "optimists" tend to have happier, healthier, more productive lives.

If you are a pessimist, you possibly are pretty good at creating a worst case scenario out of any possible events.

For example, you get invited to dinner with a new co-worker and you imagine how awkward it will be and how this will turn into a tormented work relationship for the rest of your career.

OR you want to upgrade your style and look sexier but the mere thought of going out, choosing clothes, waiting in the fitting room line, changing sizes and queuing to pay turns you off.

OR your spouse and kids are excited about the summer trip to the beautiful Mal Dives but all you're thinking is about getting sunburn, food positioning and other life-threatening diseases.

While being negative can be a nice defense mechanism to avoid dangers, it will drastically deteriorate your quality of life from your relationships to your work, school, hobbies and sports. It's a depressing approach that doesn't serve you too much.

So how can we become more optimistic?

One of the tricks to changing your thought process from negative to positive is that you cannot try to be too happy.

In order to truly be happy, you have to stop trying so hard.

Instead of thinking about whether or not you are happier yet, be more engaged in things and fully present in the moment.

When you get fully immersed in something, it will help distract you from your negative thoughts.

Another trick to becoming more positive is to adjust your attitude.

Look for quick distractions to help you when you continue to have the same negative thoughts.

Try an activity that will demand all of your attention. Exercise classes such as yoga or kickboxing can be a great way to distract yourself. Exercise will help improve your attitude by releasing endorphins, or "happy hormones," into your body that can improve your mood overall.

One of the secret weapons of optimistic people is their ability to reframe problems.

When it comes to becoming more optimistic, it is about learning to reframe problems as they arise. Instead of beating yourself up when things go wrong, reframe it so that you're more compassionate and forgiving to yourself.

For example, if you are alone at a party and thinking that you are boring and no one wants to talk to you, try thinking about where the host of the party is and wondering why they have not introduced you to any of the guests.

While this method of looking for a scapegoat is not something a true optimist would do, it will give you a different outlook on the situation and can help you to find other solutions to the issue as you realize that you are not entirely to blame.

Of course, you are always 100% responsible for your life and you can't really push the onus to other people or situation. But for optimistic starters, it's a nice trick to alleviate most burdens you've been carrying for so long.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Be-More-Optimistic&id=9540730

Words Are All I Have

We live in a world of words. We have a word for everything, some of these words and labels mean a great deal to us. Words such as "Love" "Happiness" "Success" "Prosperity" "Joy" describe conditions most of us want. But there is one word which controls them all. Meaning, there is one word which describes a condition which will bring us all of these things, or keep us from getting any one of them.

If a youngster asked you what this word is, could you tell him, or her? If, from all the words in our language you were asked to select the one word which would influence your life more than any other, could you choose the right one?

I call it the "Magic" word, and it is "ATTITUDE" This is the word that controls our life, our entire world. If you are curious about what kind of attitude you have, a simple test will give you the answer. How is the world treating you? If your attitude to the world is good, you will obtain good results. If your attitude is excellent, excellent will be your results. If your attitude is negative, then little that is positive will be your experience.

Our environment, which is another way of saying how the world treats us, is nothing more than a reflection, a mirror actually, of our own attitudes. What you put out will come back to you. It would be impossible to estimate the number of jobs lost, promotions lost, sales lost, marriages ruined, all because of an attitude that expects others to change toward us, rather than for us to set the tone, positively in our interpersonal dealings with the people in our world

A traveller from LA wanting to move to a smaller and quieter town in Iowa, stopped at a viewing site to admire the beauty of a certain small town. He noticed an old man sitting nearby on a stool. Approaching him he asked, "What are the people like in this town?" You see, I am thinking of moving here and would like to know"

"What are they like where you come from?" asked the old man. "The people in LA California, are positive, and friendly" answered the traveller. "Well, said the old man, you will find the people over here to be much the same!"

A few weeks later another traveller also wanting to move to a quieter place, stopped to admire the view and saw the same old man sitting on his stool. He also asked the same question "I'm thinking of moving from a large city to live in this place but would like to know what the people are like?" "Well what are they like where you come from?" asked the old man. "They are a bunch of selfish, money mad idiots" said the traveller.

Once again the wise old man said, "You will find about the same type of people over here!" and so, the moral of the tale is self-evident, your world responds to you as you expect it to. It's your attitude that makes the difference.

By way of application, in 30 days you can change your world and your environment by making this simple test. For the next 30 days decide to treat every person you meet, without a single exception, as the most important person on earth. You will find that they will begin treating you in the same way, you see, every person as far as he or she, is concerned, is the most important person on earth. We have been told that people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. I have found that you can and will improve your world when you improve your attitude.

Everything I have or lack in my life is due to what I have done or failed to do in my past. Everything I will have or lack in my future will depend on what I do or fail to do between now and then. M L

To your success

http://ezinearticles.com/?Words-Are-All-I-Have&id=9312503