Generally speaking, there are two very different ways of living your life. Either you really live it, or you just endure it. Obviously, the first scenario is more attractive. You retain control over what you do, and get the results you want. Unfortunately, being pessimistic is often much easier than developing optimism. This is probably why most of us are more inclined to show negativity in any situation. Yet knowing how to stay positive in your daily life has many advantages. In particular, you can have a more pleasant day, free from stress or frustration. You’ll also be more productive in your work, while remaining in a good mood. This will certainly have an impact on your physical and psychological health.

So, how do you become an optimist? What state of mind to adopt for better results? Here are a few tips to help you.

Developing optimism is above all a question of choice

At every stage of your journey, you’ll be faced with many different choices. Some of them can be decisive, while others won’t have a significant impact.

For example, you can stay at home tonight or go out to dinner.
You can reconnect with a friend you’ve lost touch with, or decide to blame him or her for the argument.
And you can settle for your current job or look for a better alternative.
The possible examples are endless. And so it is with this situation. Indeed, developing optimism also requires making a choice. The first step is to make a conscious, voluntary choice to be positive. This first step is crucial, because the result you achieve depends on it. You need to make this commitment to yourself, and then decide to act on it. By doing so, it becomes easier to stop complaining about everything or putting yourself in a victim position. Then you’ll start to see the bright side of things all the time.

However, the aim of this approach is not to learn to have only positive feelings. Developing optimism is more about seeing an opportunity in every situation.

Running into a problem? Find solutions instead of focusing on what’s wrong.
Have you experienced a failure? Learn from your mistakes and bounce back.
Taking part in an activity? Focus on the effort rather than the results.
Have a new goal to reach? Study the best path to take using rational reasoning.
Starting a new relationship? Don’t think about the break-up, but about the tricks that could help you make your relationship last.

Developing optimism means disconnecting from the media

Are you wondering how to become an infectious optimist or how to stay positive? Well, it also involves stopping complaining. Indeed, we often tend to think that it’s our environment that prevents us from having a positive mindset. On some level, this may be true. Infobesity encourages us to believe that bad things are more likely to happen. That’s why it’s so important to turn off the TV on certain days, or to step away from social networks from time to time, in order to develop optimism…

In reality, these channels are in a way reconditioning our way of seeing things, without us even realizing it. We are constantly exposed to negative images and videos. We impose the world’s problems on ourselves.

Wars;
Natural disasters;
Social phenomena;
recurring controversies;
And even those pictures/videos that denounce cruelty to animals…

There’s no shortage of examples. Yet it’s a heavy burden on our little shoulders. And above all, it’s the easiest way to prevent us from developing our optimism. So learn to disconnect from the news from time to time to preserve your sanity. This break will prevent you from believing that you’re living in a hopeless world, so nothing good can come of it.

Instead, take a dip in the forest when you’re bored.
Spend quality time with your loved ones.
Play games as a family or as a couple.
Read a good self-help book.
Take cooking, painting, guitar or any other activity you feel passionate about.

Finally, developing your optimism involves small gestures

It goes without saying that learning how to stay positive has real benefits for our mental health, and therefore also for our physical well-being. What’s more, deciding to see life through rose-colored glasses also means gaining maturity. You stop focusing on what’s wrong and start looking at what’s right. You stop seeing problems everywhere and start looking for solutions. By doing so, you’re more likely to change your behavior. This is the attitude you need to develop optimism and stop complaining. You also need to think about adopting better habits.

Use positive visualization

Everyone has a short- or long-term goal in life. What exactly is your goal? To become an entrepreneur? Travel around the world? Of course, it doesn’t have to be a large-scale project. It could be as simple as finishing your revisions today, or landing a better job. Whatever the case, developing your optimism can help you achieve them more serenely.

Positive visualization is a formidable weapon in this respect. As a reminder, it simply involves working mentally with positive images.

THERE ARE A FEW STEPS TO FOLLOW
Prepare your mind. Choose a quiet place and do a few breathing exercises to help you relax.
Clear your head.
Visualize that thing you want so badly, that goal you want to achieve. See it, feel it, make it your own.
Become aware of your emotions. Only positive ones are useful for developing optimism.
Observe all the sensations that surround it. Your breathing, your heartbeat, the smell you smell, the sounds you hear.
Pretend you’re already there, that you’re actually experiencing it!
Think of the path that will lead you to your goal. What are you going to do? Who will you meet? How will you behave? Think of it as a journey.
Finally, imagine how you’ll feel when you get there. Maybe you feel calm, rested, relieved, happy, proud…

The aim of this practice is to facilitate the process of developing optimism. This is what will enable you to adopt the right behavior when the time comes. You’ll also begin to believe that you have the ability to get what you want out of life. So get into the habit of doing this exercise before carrying out a task to always have positive results. Or why not do it every morning to start the day on the right foot?

Talk about your life with indulgence

Words have a lot of power, more than you think. You may not realize it, but your affirmations shape your state of mind and therefore your life too. So developing your optimism simply means using the right adjectives to describe your life. After all, it’s the thought that becomes the reality.

Remember: the way you talk about your life becomes the way your life will be.

And since your mind hears what you say, make sure it hears the best parts. As far as possible, avoid saying that your life is boring, chaotic, monotonous or a succession of bad luck. By saying it out loud, you’ll start to feel the negative effect of these words both physically and psychologically. On the other hand, developing your optimism and using adjectives like simple, exciting, interesting or thrilling will prove to be more advantageous for a more fulfilling existence. Quite simply, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Reorient or reformulate your thoughts

When faced with a negative situation, the first reflex you need to have is to put things into perspective. More concretely, this simply means considering a situation, a thing or a context in relative terms and in its proper proportions. This means that problems are just the tip of the iceberg. You won’t have a clear vision if you stop at the surface. Developing optimism means digging deeper, looking beyond the obstacle itself.

In fact, a quotation from Buddha perfectly reflects what we mean by this: “If there is no solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it. If there is a solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it.”. So, instead of letting anxiety take hold, reorient or reformulate your thoughts. In other words, every time you’re faced with life’s challenges, ask yourself: “What could I gain?

You’re experiencing job loss for the first time. How can you develop optimism in such a situation? You’ll probably need some time to really realize what’s happening. But it’s also an opportunity for you to develop your skills or find a job where you can practice your passion.
You may be going through your first brutal break-up. That’s enough to unsettle anyone. But you also have the opportunity to take some time out to look after yourself, recharge your batteries and reassess your priorities.
You’ve failed your university entrance exam. Your pride has taken a big hit. But developing your optimism means understanding that this also leaves room for professional experience. Perhaps your first work experience placement? You’ll be off to a flying start next semester.

But above all, be patient!

Contrary to popular belief, patience is not an innate quality. Rather, it’s a skill to be developed. And yet, it’s a quality that has many benefits. In particular, patience helps you to remain calm in all circumstances. It’s also an essential ingredient in stress reduction. And its various virtues also apply to this exercise. In fact, developing optimism doesn’t happen overnight.

So be patient with yourself. Take the time to observe your reactions throughout the day. Identify those pessimistic tendencies. Analyze your reactions, study your responses, observe your habitual thought patterns. You’ll probably find that you :

Often make hasty judgments about others;
Often complain about everything: your body, your work, your partner, your colleagues, etc.;
Focus more on your failures, the little incidents that have ruined your day…

Once you’ve identified them, give them up. To develop your optimism, you need to change them. So replace them with :

Cultivate tolerance and compassion;
Practice gratitude and learn to say thank you;
Focus on what you have, rather than what you don’t have;
Don’t let nostalgia for the past overwhelm you, and focus your attention on the present;
Be grateful for the life you lead;
Always approach every situation with good humor, instead of criticizing everything and anything;
Simply put, have a positive frame of mind! That’s the key to optimism.

It’s up to you to act now! And if you have any other tips or know how to become an infectious optimist, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.