Change Your Outlook On Life and Find Success

[Matthew Sherborne]

In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best

If you’ve placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People respond positively to optimists

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.

Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side?

[diggerzs]

I wish i was that perfect. I always try to think positively, but there is always something that blocks me. I just have the feeling that something was going to be wrong. Now, after reading your article. I think i should try to be a Optimist because my health and every will get better. Thx and i feel a lot better than before. Great article!

[logicallyme]

Great article.

But, diggerzs, I think you missed the point.

Optimists are probably farther from perfection then pessimists are. The difference is that optimists believe they'll get there and pessimists believe they won't. I can give you one example from my own experience. I had taken a job and been working there almost 6 weeks when my mom heard about the work I was doing. It was straight commission work. She called long distance and said, "You can't make a living doing that. You'll lose everything." My response, "Mama, you're probably right, that's why I cashed the check they paid me with at their bank." The point... My mom was a pessimist always expecting the worst. As for me, I expect the best, prepare for the worst, and get whatever I set out to get sooner or later.

All the best.

[jjarrett]

Diggerz,

I want to share something with you on this too.

My mom has had two brain tumors. I asked her one time how she felt about it. I certainly don't think anyone should have something that terrible happen to him/her.

My mom asked me "Why not?" She said, "Why not me? I'm no different, or better, than anyone else."

That really stuck with me. Change the questions that you're asking yourself. You deserve to succeed. You deserve to be happy and have a great life.

We take action on our what we really believe, not what we say we believe.

Keep telling yourself you're great until you believe it. Hang around here.

I am far, far, from perfect, but I've learned that you don't have to be perfect to be happy.

One of the things that really helped me was a self hypnosis by Paul McKenna. You can get it from his website for free: Paul McKenna NLP Weight Loss Training Courses - Paul Mckenna

I've used other stuff: "The Science of Getting Rich", "Simpleology", and I'm a big fan of Lisa Diane, as well as Norman Vincent Peale.

Find the thing that works for you and work it as hard as you can. You'll get rid of those limiting beliefs.

My best to you, Jinger

[Sky]

Thank you for all the great advice here Matthew.

Jinger those are great resources you list for succeeding in life. I too enjoy the teachings of Mark Joyner and Simpleology. The Science of Getting rich is a must read for anyone wanting to attain personal growth.

I have not listened to Paul McKenna, but now that I've read this I plan too.

Here's one of my favorite quotes by Jack Canfield.

Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.
- Jack Canfield

[tanyc01]

Living with a family who always prepare for the worst and also wholeheartedly believe in the worst, I've had my fair share of overcoming the negativity that I had grew up in and was part of my system. At the end of the day, I find that I achieve almost everything I set out to do when I expect the best of myself, and even those times that I fail, they felt good because I tried. And if I had never tried and worried that things would break apart, I'd never have experienced that joy.

Hmmm I hope I made sense. It's getting late here.

[NoTrouble]

Hi Tany,

Yes you made sense I'm glad to hear you overcame the negative aspects of your upbringing to change your life outlook, not an easy thing to do.

Expecting the best of yourself will always lead to achieving great things. We are all destined for greatness when we are born.

I believe those of us who take control of our own lives, stop blaming others for our mistakes and always try to give more then you expect to get will be succesfull in the long run.

[Archbob]

You have to be an optimist to succeed in the long wrong. It you always think something will go wrong, it probably will. Its sort of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. In life, you don't lose when you fall down, you lose when you stop getting up. That quote rings more true than ever.