Let’s cut through the noise – toxic cynicism and pessimism poison your potential. We generally don’t recognize that until it comes back our way. Your outbound positivity is something you may not notice – however when others toss positivity back at us, we sure do recognize that. Chronic apprehension creates unnecessary obstacles, further discouraging progress. So why swim against currents through self-imposed isolation stemming from negativity? The world doles plenty of negativity without your pile-on. Uplifting people around you will provide a tremendous benefit to both them and you. The goal should be to make those people around you better than you are.
Optimism proves easy to cultivate as habits with awareness and discipline! Begin actively curating input streams – the people, media and environments saturating your aura. Reduce needless exposures to influences breeding heavier cynicism and fear without adding value. You have to assess the value of what people are providing you. If it isn’t in line with what you want to become, who you are now, or what you stand for – it’s a very good idea to eliminate that situation from your life.
When it comes to your interactions with others, highlight their strengths. Praise the good they show outwardly, and help teach them the things that they struggle to learn. Humans inherently seek validation. If they rely on society or the negative influences around them, they will validate themselves in a negative way – and that is exactly what they will profess outwardly to others, continually feeding an environment that desperately needs uplifting.
Your individual progress rides on pivoting perspectives from burdens to opportunities. Allow situations appearing inconvenient to instead advance goals through workaround creativity, ambitious initiative and evolution. Ask abundantly – how can setbacks make me better, revelations redirect me wiser and losses liberate me today for growth possibilities?
Luck is simply validating demonstrated competencies, not random flukes. So rather than dismissing others’ accomplishments as chance while self-victimizing mistakes as cosmic misfortunes, interrogate both for replicable insights. Creating luck is a responsibility you have for yourself. Only you can take the actions necessary to create and manifest that luck. Think back to the last time you felt “lucky”. What behaviors cultivated your luck outcomes? What was happening just prior to that? What was your mood and personal situation like? How can reflections on the stumbles you recovered from during that able to teach lessons applied correctly next time, to improve that luck even more?
Cultivating optimism proves easily done through curating input streams – the people, media and environments saturating your psyche. Reduce needless exposures to influences breeding heavier cynicism without value. This means turn off the news, stop reading the mainstream newspapers and websites. Challenge instinctive narratives around circumstances controlling you. Find uplifting and personal focus articles, websites, and communities to engage in – with like minded people who are also looking to improve themselves. When you project yourself in a disagreeable nature, this statistically leads to reduced promotions, collaborations and mentorships anyway – why stack more obstacles? Nobody wants to spend time with someone who is always throwing shade and pessimism.
The blunt but liberating truth: people purposefully assist upbeat allies defiantly striving over those who seek and attract darkness. So take inventory- do your behaviors and belief systems radiate sunlight or clouds? Do conversations solve problems or just amplify their severity through complaints? Do setbacks breed discouragement or determined resolve?
With awareness and discipline, shift mindsets from apprehensive to opportunistic. Progress depends on it. Life presents sufficient hardships without manufacturing extra adversity through pessimism. Why not brighten your corner of reality and uplift people privy to your infectious drive? The dividends from choosing optimism are boundless.
