How to Live and Optimistic Life

​In my last blog I revealed how having a positive or Optimistic outlook on life can make you happier and help you live longer.  But how do you get and keep that positive outlook?
 
Here are six fundamental changes to make:
 
Focus on what you want
 
What do you think about most of the time?  Do you Focus on your troubles and worries?  If you spend your attention focusing on what you don’t want then it is easy to fall into the pessimistic trap.  If you instead spend most of your time thinking about what you do want out of life in various areas then you become more focused.  So focus on what you want.  Post reminders on post-its and whiteboards in your surroundings to keep your attention where it needs to be.
 
Be grateful for what you have
 
What you want is something out there in the future, but it is also important to view what you have right now, in the right way, to keep an optimistic viewpoint.  Appreciate the little and the big things in life instead of focusing too much on what you do not have.
 
Avoid negative Generalizations
 
If you run into an obstacle or problem then a negative thinker may generalize this as something that is just there and will continue to stay there.  While an optimistic thinker views the obstacle as something temporary that can be overcome by taking action.
 
Shape the input
 
If you let pessimistic and negative thinking into your mind then it will be pretty much impossible to stay optimistic about life.  Take a closer look at what movies, TV, news, books and music you consume and how they affect you.  Look at how the people closer to you too such as friends and family affect you thoughts, then take action to reduce or cut out the most negative sources as best you can and replace the void in your life with more time with the positive influences.
 
Set the context for your day
 
What you do early in the day often sets the context for that day.  Here are some suggestions that will help you set the positive context for the day:  Spend a few minutes in the morning in meditation or thinking about what you want and your goals.  Spend a few minutes being grateful for what you have.  Exercise.  Do the more important things of your day first.
 
Be good and kind to yourself
 
How you view yourself and treat yourself has a huge impact on how you view the world around you and interact with it.  Here is one way to be good and kind to yourself:  Write down five things each night that you are grateful for about yourself.   Also, don’t beat yourself up when you fall short of a goal or make a mistake.
 
So I hope this gives you some great ideas of steps you can take to change your outlook to one of optimism.  Your future self will thank you for it!