6 Ways to Cultivate Optimism Every Day

You might be surprised to hear that optimism is not an innate quality. Optimism and pessimism are ways of looking at yourself and the world through a positive or negative filter.  Once you think of them as reflections of your mindset, it becomes much easier to believe you can change. Like any new behavior, you need to practice every day for it to become a habit. Try these six suggestions to cultivate your optimism every day.

Keep a Journal

I know, I know, you hear this all of the time and the reason you do is that it a proven fact.  Journaling can create positive vibes ~ especially when gratefulness journals.  Journaling or keeping a diary allows you to process events and to get a different perspective on them. It encourages self-reflection and captures insights into your thinking and behavior. You can write down what happened during the day and document, not just facts but what actions you took, what you did to make it happen, and all of the things you did right.  And, most importantly, how it felt while you were doing it!  You don't have to only record the good things (a promotion, a presentation or meeting that went well), remember to write down the thing that didn’t go so well and reflect on what happened, how you dealt with it, and what you might do differently next time.

Laugh

Consciously notice the funny side of things and write them down. If the technology didn’t work, and you had to give the presentation without the slide deck, or the power went out, or there was a fire drill in the middle of your crucial meeting. What can seem like a disaster at the time can also be looked back on as a comedy of errors.

Write to Your Future Self

Write a letter or a journal entry that sets out the future you want.  In the book Think and Grow Rich it was stated that when you do this activity it helps your subconscious mind to remember and because we are made of energy the universe here's what you're saying and sets the ball in motion.  So, what job are you doing? Are you running your own business? What have you learned? What has changed? Imagining how your future life looks and feels can be a powerful motivator.

Keep a Kindness List

Have a page in your journal where you write down kind gestures.  Yes, kind gestures.  Doing this will not only lift your spirits it will make you smile.  Write down when you are kind to someone, or when someone is kind to you. Even little things count, like opening a door or letting people go first in the line for coffee. You’ll be surprised at how quickly kind gestures add up, and your growing list will give you a different perspective on things.

Say Thank You

Write a letter or email, send a card, or better yet make a phone call to someone (a person outside your family or your immediate circle) who has been genuinely kind to you. Tell them how much you appreciate what they did or said and how it impacted your life.

Choose Positivity

Make a deliberate choice to develop and maintain an optimistic outlook. Make the choice every morning when you wake up. Decide that today is going to be a great day.  All of us have some level of suffering in our life. Choosing to be optimistic will make it easier to bounce back from the bad times and to enjoy and be certain of the good times.

I was inspired to share these tips because our world is soooo full of negativity and I love inspiring women to live with positivity.  God's got this!