8 Ways to Look Through The Lens of Optimism

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Tony Watts, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

What if we can spend each and every day of our lives in a state of complete optimism? Sounds great, right? We would walk around without a care in the world living life to the fullest with no worries of what tomorrow will bring. Okay, let me get back to reality and say that it’s not possible to stay optimistic at all times and it may actually be unhealthy as it would give you a false perception of life and expectations in general. However and here’s where we find the light at the end of the tunnel, it is very possible to increase optimism to a point where it is scientifically proven that it can lead to a healthier mind and body. I can say this with absolute certainty because I had and continue to do so.

Before I became a life coach and spent years working on mind, body and spirit, I was the most pessimistic guy you would ever meet. No, seriously. There was a time when I woke up expecting something to go wrong at some point during the day. I expected projects to fail; bills to overflow from my mailbox, my car to have some sort of mechanical problem and well…you get the idea. Give me something positive and I’ll give you the negative aspect of it. Not the kind of guy you’d want to invite to a party. It always comes back to being aware of what you’re thinking and how you perceive things and I want to share with you a few methods that I continue to practice to be more optimistic.

1. Realize and acknowledge your thought process and be willing to put the work in

It sounds strange but we often get to a point where we feel comfortable or familiar with our thought process because we’ve done it for so long and it’s what we’re used to, even if it’s detrimental to our health! We convince ourselves that this is the way it has to be, cut and dry. In this case we tell ourselves life is nothing but problems and we need to anticipate every negative outcome. This is not true. Like anything worth wile, being more optimistic requires first realizing how you view your world and then being more than willing to do something about it and put in work. It also takes time and patience, especially patience with self.

2. Start the day with intention

I start every morning with a quick prayer session and then tell myself out loud that today is going to be a good day. I consciously choose to appreciate another day that God has given to me. Try this for yourself and you will see in time it makes a big difference in setting the tone for your day. A few other things I like to say are:

If a challenge (notice I say challenge and not problem) comes up I will respond instead of react. I will do the best that I can to deal with it; I’ll learn from it and move on.

I can’t control every circumstance but I can control how I deal with them.

Today I choose joy and I expect great things to happen.

Say whatever you need to tell yourself to set your mind to be more optimistic.

3. Now end the day considering what went well

Try not to dwell on the things that didn’t go well and focus more on what made it a good day for you. Be grateful for and think of all of the positive things that happened for you and what you’ve accomplished. Remember that you did the best you could, you planned and got things done, you kicked ass as a parent or even something as simple as dealing with a difficult situation with a co-worker without getting angry and losing your cool. Tell yourself tomorrow will be an even better day. Say it loud!

4. Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a great way to become more optimistic. Intentionally think about all you have to be grateful for (even the seemingly little things) and write it down in a journal or post it to social media. This will help reinforce the habit, increase positivity and plus your energy might even help someone else!

5. Creating goals for yourself

Not only does creating goals give you something to look forward to, they keep you busy enough to where you have no time to sit and think pessimistically. Setting realistic goals will help you be more productive and see the good throughout your day. Don’t think about what could go wrong or what could happen. See things going the way you’d like them to. If they don’t, adjust accordingly and just keep moving.

6. Surround yourself with positive people and stay away from the negative

I hear things like “I can’t. I’ve known this person for too long and we’re friends.” Or, “That’s family, I just can’t forget about them.” I’m not telling you to forget about them but sometimes you have to love people from a distance. If you continue to try your best to be uplifting and encouraging around a person and always end up feeling low or depressed after speaking with them then you might want to consider some space. Unfortunately, there a people that can’t stand when you are positive around them because they themselves are miserable. We’ve all said that we can be around certain people and their energy will never affect us but you and I know is not true. If you hang around someone long enough they will influence or impact you in some way. Surround yourself with like-minded people who are optimistic and supportive of your journey.

7. Limit the news and negative media

This one’s a big one. I used to wake up every morning and the first thing I did was put on a cup of coffee and turn on the news. After a while it left me bitter and angry and would often set the tone for the rest of my day. It’s difficult enough to deal with your own problems and listening about all of the craziness going on in the world doesn’t help. It used to leave me feeling helpless because I felt there was nothing I could do to “fix things” going on in the world. I’m not saying avoid the news altogether. It’s important to know what’s going on in the world around you and not be oblivious. But it might be beneficial for you to moderate how much of it you take in. Or at least see if you can find some good news to read or watch.

8. Don’t dwell on what went wrong

That goes for relationships, events or past circumstances. Process it, acknowledge and go through the emotions, learn from your experiences and move on to something else. I know it can be difficult at times but it’s the only way to move forward in a positive direction and not feel stuck or hopeless. And remember, just because something happened in the past doesn’t’ mean it’s destined to happen again. Choose to think of the best case scenario and live in the present, not the past.

So those are just a few things that I practice to be more optimistic. I’m not saying to not acknowledge negative or less than favorable circumstances. Sometimes these challenges are necessary in order for us to learn and grow in maturity. It’s a part of life and it can be unhealthy to expect positive circumstances and events at all times. This would distort your view of what life is. But you certainly don’t want to dwell on the negative. Learn from those experiences and then try to move on to positive things. It takes time to replace old habits with new ones and mindset shift is no different so if you happen to fall back in to having a pessimistic outlook it’s okay. Take one day at a time and keep trying. If you find this extremely difficult and are constantly seeing the negative in every situation and always have a fear of the worst then you may want to consider seek the professional help of a therapist as this could lead to depression and anxiety or other serious health problems.