Optimize Your environment

All of us have moments when we feel sad or anxious about our life. Feeling down in the dumps from time to time is normal, but that doesn’t make it a good experience. Unhappiness, in excess, can also impair a person’s ability to cope with life’s challenges and to be productive. Learning to be more optimistic is the cure for sadness and worry. An optimistic attitude makes it much easier to overcome difficulties and to live well. Here are some ways to have a more optimistic attitude to life.

 

1. Take responsibility.

Some people try to blame others for anything that goes wrong in their life. Recognizing that you and only you are in charge of your life will give you a healthier outlook on the world. If things go badly, don’t look around to see who you can blame. Look at yourself first. Discovering what you did wrong will give you knowledge of how to do better in the future. Knowing that you are master of your own fate will allow you to put your mistake behind you and proceed forward optimistically.

2. Reflect.

Taking some time, even just a few minutes, to step back and consider all you have to be thankful for can really change your attitude to life. Instead of only seeing the bad side of things, you’ll be reminded of all you have to be glad for. Think about things like your family, your friends, your health, and your career. Is every aspect of your life a reason for joy? No, of course not. But you probably have more to be optimistic about than you had thought.

3. Make plans.

Optimism is all about looking towards the future. If you have nothing to look forward to, being optimistic will be impossible. Solve the problem by setting goals for your life. Want to start your own business? Want to get in shape? Whatever your dream, make a plan with a concrete goal for your future. With a vision of what’s to come in mind, you’ll feel as if your life has direction and meaning.

4. Take pride.

A big part of feeling optimistic is knowing that you are capable and competent. Negative people will credit even their own success to luck or the efforts of others. Look back at your life and everything you’ve accomplished. Examine each event and you’ll see how your success was due to your own skills, habits, character, and perseverance. It’s not a coincidence that you achieved these things, so why not look to the future with hope? More success can be expected.

5. Get help from others.

Inevitably, there will be times when you feel pessimistic and unhappy. In such situations you need good friends to help put you back on even keel. If you’ve lost perspective and are seeing the world in a completely negative light, a friend or family member can help you recover. Negativity can be like a poison that worsens with time. Stop the damage by venting your feelings to someone you know will help you see the good side of life again.

6. Take joy in simple things.

Pessimists see only the bad side of reality. Such people think that the things they don’t have are the most valuable things in the world. A healthier attitude is to get happiness from simple things, such as the beauty of nature, your health, or your closest family members. Money, material things, and status don’t really make us happy, so don’t waste your time wishing you had them. Taking joy in what is already yours is a better path to optimism and happiness.

7. Improve your surroundings.

The TV you watch, the books you read, and the people you spend time with all have an enormous effect on your mentality. Surround yourself with negativity and you will soon acquire a harmful mindset. Examine your life and cut out the most damaging influences, replacing them with more positive things. For example, stop watching that TV show that leaves you depressed and angry. Use the time to do something productive instead, or watch a more upbeat program.

Optimism is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. Optimism is like an all-purpose tool that makes the task of living life well far easier to accomplish. Don’t let negativity and a pessimistic mindset ruin your life — begin a new life of optimism and happiness today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many people spend years pondering the question “What is my life purpose?” For some it can be a lifelong journey to discover.

This is now such a common topic of discussion among people from all over the world and one can find thousands of pages of information online and in books with suggestions of growth and encouragement to help us on our path.

During this journey myself, at times I felt so isolated and discouraged as though I wasn’t getting clear fast enough and that others seemed to have it all figured out.

Instead what I discovered was that I wasn’t alone and each path can be so unique.

The 3 biggest misconceptions I discovered while sourcing out my own Life Purpose:

1)   My Life Purpose will hit me like a lightning strike.

I read so many books and articles, took quizzes, challenges, and mediated for months in hopes that a light bulb would turn on and bells would ring when my life purpose suddenly came to me. It didn’t. And it may never hit like a ton of bricks. In fact, most don’t have it occur that way.

Instead what many notice, is that a flicker of a small flame may light something inside and help move you to the next step. And with each step, that flame may get brighter and brighter, all leading you on the path to find your ultimate true purpose.

Pay attention to those flickering lights and notice when they start to fade. That may be a sign that a small change in direction is required.

2)   The more effort and focus I give it, the quicker it will reveal itself.

I found that the harder the tried, the less I observed. After all, what you resist persists, so I challenge you to allow yourself to go deeper into the stillness and silence and be patient and for it to surface on it’s own time.

If you can, stop thinking about it consciously and allow yourself to create an open awareness of what is happening around you.  It is through the waiting and allowing that I discovered the most significant parts of my life purpose.

3)   I only have one unique Life Purpose.

There could be many and it could be an evolution uncovered over the span of your life. A Life Purpose may not even be obvious or what we think it might be.

As we grow in different areas of our life, we may feel a stronger unique calling in one particular area but notice that it changes with our relationships and interests.  What a purpose is at five years old can be very different then what it is at fifty. However all aspects of it may ultimately lead to one point.

The most important part is to realize who or what is of more value to you at this point in your life and how those values can contribute to your current purpose.

Today and right now is the most important part of your journey, so choose to live your life ON purpose and to make the journey part of your purpose.