This week’s dose of mental sunshine is all about optimism.
I’m a big fan of The Optimist Creed, which was written by Christian D Larson in 1912:
I Promise Myself:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet
To make all my friends feel that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet
To give so much time to the improvement of myself that I have no time to criticise others
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble
I love this and it’s something I try to live by each and every day.
Sometimes when we make the effort to be more optimistic and positive, it can feel like we are just willfully ignoring all of the negative things in the world – but that’s not the case.
I believe it’s perfectly possible to be aware of all of the negative things in life, and to still be optimistic and hopeful for the future.
Optimistic people are generally happier in life, and aim to spread that happiness and positivity to the world around.
In fact, in the famous “Nun Study” which began in 1986, optimistic nuns were found to outlive negative ones by around ten years.
Other studies have also shown positive outcomes for people who are more optimistic.
Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future
Would you consider yourself to be an optimist?
It’s not one of those things that you either are or aren’t – you can teach yourself to be more optimistic, and this is where the Optimist Creed comes in.
Reading this to yourself out loud each morning before you go out into the world.
Over time it sinks in, and you begin to display the qualities mentioned in the Creed.
Go on, try it for a few days and see what happens.
You might just find yourself with your very own sunny disposition which you can share with the people around you!
