Optimists Do It Better – Practice Positive Thinking and Improve Your Life

We all know someone who looks like they are always happy and that nothing can ever bring them down. That person who always sees the silver lining around the dark cloud. Maybe you are that person, but must of us tend to focus too much on the bad things. Wouldn’t it be great if everybody could see the bright side in everything around them?

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? The truth is, we all need to be a little bit of both. Weirdly, it maintains the balance of humanity. If you aren’t a natural silver-lining person, then you should consider developing techniques to help you cope with the inevitable disappointments and obstacles in life.

What Is The Difference Between an Optimist and a Pessimist?

An Optimist is basically someone who looks at the world from a positive perspective. Nothing ever seems too difficult or impossible. Sometimes, optimists are so positive that they don’t see the reality in a situation. An optimist will be running late for a flight, and they will have a natural mindset of – ‘everything will work out just fine.’ They won’t let themselves worry too much about the consequences of them being late, and that can be their detriment.

A pessimist, on the other hand, is always thinking about what can go wrong. Whenever they are faced with a problem, they always look at the negatives first. Pessimists are often cynical and critical. When they run late for a flight, they will naturally think – ‘Oh, no. The plane is going to leave without me. I spent all this money on a plane ticket, which I’m not even going to be on!’ They will pose the most negative outcome, usually making matters worse than what they actually are.

Being an optimist and a pessimist isn’t something that you can teach yourself. It’s a tendency we’re born with or develope at a very young age. When you are a natural pessimist, then positive thinking is an excellent tool you can incorporate into your everyday life.

Positive Thinking

People tend to think that positive thinking is a sort of “fake it ’till you make it” thing: If you have a negative thought, simply tell yourself the opposite. The truth is that hardly ever works. For example, if you feel bad about your appearance, telling yourself that you look great won’t work.

The key is to recognize the negative thoughts and to challenge them by finding a positive thought you relate to and focusing on it. For example, if your thinking, “I’ll never find a good job,” try to find a different perspective on the matter that allows some hope. Perhaps you can think about the massive amount of job opportunities available, the many skills you have or recall an example from your past when you thought the situation was hopeless, but a solution eventually emerged.

Talking to someone that has a positive mindset may help you break the pattern of negative thoughts. Just make sure you’re not lying to yourself! Find a positive thought that you do believe to be true, and nurture it with your attention. This will gradually make this thought more potent than the former, negative thinking.

 Visualization

Use the power of visualization to encourage a positive outlook on life. Instead of visualizing the worst possible outcomes, sit down, breathe, and close your eyes. Think of what it is you want to achieve and visualize your path towards your goal. When you see yourself leading a better lifestyle in your mind, it will be much easier to create it physically.

Logical Thinking

Positive thinking should be used to build your self-esteem, self-belief, and to maintain a healthy mind. It should also be used with caution – we don’t want to lose touch with reality. If you strongly believe that you are the world’s greatest singer while actually having no singing talent, then you are missing the point.

Optimists and pessimists should find a balance between thinking positively and being logical about situations. When you combine positive thinking with logic, you will be able to achieve goals that you never thought were possible.

Life is all about finding a balance between reality and dream. Our minds can be our greatest enemies or our most powerful tool. It’s important to practice positive thinking to feel mentally healthy and stable. Moreover, you can only achieve what you believe is possible – or as author Neil Gaiman put it – “We’re only as big as our dreams.” If you practice a positive perspective while being enthusiastic about the path (no matter how difficult), a successful result will be inevitable.