People seem to believe that optimists ignore the negative aspects of life, and are able to avoid all problems. That’s not the case at all. In fact, in actuality, it’s the complete opposite.
People who have an optimistic way of looking at their world actually run toward the challenges in their lives because they know there’s a solution to every problem.
With the rise of terms like “positive thinking,” on the surface, it can almost seem like unrealistic optimism. But with a deeper look into newer research stemming from positive psychology, it’s a mindset that scientists acknowledge can maximize your potential in every aspect.
Study after study has shown that optimists have a lower incidence of sickness, more job offers and are more resilient to failure. They are also healthier. This attitude will help you create long-lasting success.
In Martin Seligman’s book Learned OptimismA British study examined sixty-nine breast cancer patients over five years. It concluded that the women who did not suffer a recurrence tended to be those who responded to cancer with a “fighting spirit.”
Specifically, this research highlights a newer science called Psychoneuroimmunology, which studies how your nervous system influences your immune system. Simply put, your thoughts can affect the health of the body.
Your thoughts could make you physically sick. You can also make yourself physically well by your thoughts.
Everything in your life is affected by how you think. Martin Seligman, who’s been called the father of positive psychology, says that learning to be optimistic is a vital way to help maximize your mental health and live a better life.
All it takes is the story you tell about yourself every day. It is possible to look at your life as if it were half full or half empty.
This is a choice we have; however, since most of us have been conditioned into what scientists call “negativity bias,” our brains tend to focus on what’s going wrong in our lives instead of what’s going right.
Seligman said it:
“Life inflicts the same setbacks and tragedies on the optimist as on the pessimist, but the optimist weathers them better.”
You can overcome any setbacks to reach your career goals and your relationships.
The great thing about becoming optimistic, it’s a skill that can be learned. Like riding a motorcycle or driving a stickshift, the more you do it, the easier it will become.
You can make a habit of it if you do so for long enough. This means it doesn’t require the same amount of mental energy as it did the first time you started. You’ve gotten so good that it requires little to no conscious thought.
Now science is showing us that altering your thought patterns can actually rewire your brain’s structure.
You can change the stories you tell yourself every day, and see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. This is like strengthening a muscle for the desired outcome in the future.
As Winston Churchill says, “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
If you’re looking to gain your edge and build an indestructible optimistic mindset to improve the results in your life, here are a couple of things you can try:
Recognize the good that’s happening in your life
You began to see the positive things happening in your life, and you started to enjoy them. Although good things are everywhere, we often overlook the positive ones. These seemingly insignificant victories will help you train your brain so that you can recognize even more.
When something goes wrong in your life, remember it’s not permanent.
Everything is always possible. It’s inevitable. The best thing you can do for yourself is to acknowledge the discomfort you are feeling but don’t ruminate on it. If you don’t give up, things in life will never be permanent. People who believe in optimism think that bad things are only temporary. Never lose sight of the fact that someone else has a solution.
Don’t wallow when bad events arise. Take action.
It can be tempting to just sit back and let disappointments, sadness, or other negative emotions take over. Talking to someone, exercising, meditation, and talking to others is the best thing for your body. You can make a huge difference in your mental state by exercising for just five minutes. Meditating can reduce stress. Talking with a friend to help get you out of mental ruts and offer a positive third-party viewpoint on your situation can also be helpful.
Addicted 2 Success first published the post Why a Optimistic Mindset Can Help You Win In Life.
The article Why a positive mindset helps you win in life appeared first at Addicted 2 Success