Why you should be an optimist
What if you’re wrong, what if it doesn’t work out the way you expect?
Pessimism is easy, tearing things down is easy.
Most of the time, things go wrong, and the pessimists are right.
But building something, fixing what’s broken, having hope, that’s hard.
That’s the path of the optimist. Pessimists get to be right, and optimists get to change the world.
You aren’t as far away from your dreams as you think you are. One day, one person, one call, one decision from a completely different life.
You only have to be right once for everything to change.
What’s worthwhile will take longer than you expect, but will give you so much more. How long are you willing to fight, to stay in the game?
Life design isn’t an overnight process, it isn’t a one-problem solution, it’s a better way of living, a more evolved way of life.
As Confucius said, “Every man has two lives, and the second begins when he realizes he has only one.”
Here are 4 ways to be an optimist
1. Reframe all problems into opportunities
Instead of dealing with problems, deal with opportunities. Rather than addressing the existence of a problem as a hindrance to life, address it as an opportunity for a new solution, for a stronger character
2. Be irrationally grateful
Being madly grateful for all that takes place, the good, the bad, and the ugly, gives you a chance to reflect on the peculiar nature of your existence. The fact that your life is different and that your unique experiences make up the texture of your mind is something to celebrate every day
3. Bring out the best in others to bring out the best in you
When you lift others, when you build authentic relationships, you tend to bring out the better nature of other people, some of whom, will in turn, bring out the best of you.
4. Memento Mori (Remember, I will die)
Would you rather live a life always angry, negative, and pessimistic? Looking at the half-empty glass as a metaphor for the whole world. Or would you rather wake with a smile on your face, knowing that even in an imperfect world, the sun will shine, the birds will fly, and the grass will grow?
