Seven Tips to Get You Feeling Optimistic

It’s not always easy looking for the bright side in every situation. Right now, I know our area is experiencing heavy snow, gloomy days and early hours of the day reaching darkness. Most people are experiencing the same, or some sort of weather change that makes them want to hibernate until summer. The worst part, this is only the peak of what millions of people look forward to. So, the ultimate question is, how do you get past those gloomy days, and any road blocks along the way, to face the day feeling optimistic?

Here are seven tips to get you started:

1. Keep your head up high. Even though the day may be dragging, hold your head high. Optimistic people face the world with their heads up and a straight posture. Walk tall and proud and show confidence. We can all pick out the pessimistic people of the world who walk around dragging their feet with their heads slumped. Be ready to take on the world and show everyone you know today is going to be a great day, hold your head high and don’t let anyone or anything bring you down.

2. Put the cheer back in your voice. A quick way to make yourself feel better is to talk with a cheerful voice. If you’re having a down day but know you need to meet with a new customer, you change your tone instantly and forget all of your troubles. Try doing this anyways, even when you have no one to impress. Psychological research has shown that people feel the emotion that he or she is acting at the moment. So, when you’re feeling down, act cheerful and you will start to feel happy again.

3. Use your positive words. It’s easy to say there is a problem, you’re tired, you’re depressed or you quit. Instead of choosing to make the worst out of a situation, try focusing on the positive. Use words like we have a solution, or I am recharging my energy or I don’t want to give up just yet. Instead of thinking of a negative outcome as a problem, think of it as an opportunity to learn, improve and move on.

4. Keep your attitude upbeat. We can concentrate on how much money we don’t have, how we don’t live in a mansion or how our jobs aren’t great. Or, we can choose to think of how we are going to prosper in life, how our homes are cozy and full of love and how we are grateful for a job that allows our families to experience the world. Instead of always beating yourself up for what you don’t have, you need to change your attitude and recognize what you actually have that makes life pretty great.

5. Help someone out. You know that feeling when you’ve made a difference in someone else’s life, you feel great. It doesn’t have to be anything big. You can teach a child how to tie their shoelaces or you could help out a team member on a project. When you see the sense of accomplishment, you will feel great about what you have done and how you have made a significant difference for someone. Remember, you don’t have to climb mountains to make a difference for someone, just a kind gesture or lending a hand can have a major impact on them and get you feeling optimistic.

6. Avoid the negative people. There is no easier way to bring down your day than to hang out with a bunch of negative people. They know how to make the worst out of every situation and make even the best of moments appear negative. Not to mention, they are the last people who are going to help you be optimistic. If you find there are a lot of these people in your life, maybe it’s time you started hanging out with a new crowd? If that’s not possible, you will have to work extra hard at staying optimistic and positive when you are around them, being sure to avoid any negative conversations.

7. Keep your focus on optimism. When you find it hard to see the best of a situation, get out a piece of paper. Write down the situation that is occurring. Next, write down everything positive about the situation, whether it’s the fact that you’ll meet someone new, finally be healthy or you'll have an opportunity to move your life forward… whatever it is, there has to be something you can remain optimistic about. If you want to make a difference in how you perceive life, practice doing this exercise until optimism becomes a positive habit.

Being optimistic isn’t easy all of the time. In fact, some of us find it hard all of the time. But, with a little bit of practice and some moves in a positive direction, you’ll be changing your life for the better and you’ll start seeking the benefits of being optimistic.

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"Gary Gzik is a Corporate Trainer and CEO of the business consulting company BizXcel Inc. which owns and operates Getting to Someday, a place where people go to achieve their goals and dreams.

Gary also wrote "The Orange Popsicle - Six Influential Lessons that will Inspire You to Change Your Life" and "The Power of RE - Recreate Your Life from the Inside-Out".

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