It’s a brand-new day! Time to live and be happy!
Did you know that being optimistic is good for you? Having a mindset full of kind and positive words will literally help you succeed not only in your health but in life itself. Research conducted at Harvard University has provided the analytical data to prove the already-known fact that happy people live happy healthy lives. According to Harvard’s findings, “Over a four-year period, highly pessimistic men were three times more likely to develop hypertension than cheerier souls, even after other risk factors were taken into account.” (Harvard Health Publishing, 2008) That is remarkable! So, how do you change your mindset from pessimistic to optimistic? GRATITUDE!
You’ve probably heard people spouting off the phrase “attitude of gratitude”, but it never really sinks in how powerful that phrase is due to its overuse and lack of application. It’s like seeing someone driving a car with bumper stickers all over it saying things like peace, love, respect, and kindness driving like a maniac speeding and flipping people the bird. You may not take the message seriously. That’s what has happened to the phrase “attitude of gratitude”. It is a nice concept but to truly live it is the key.
How do you turn an overused phrase into action? Let go of everything you know. Adopt a clean slate mindset like the Buddhist way of “beginners mind”. Let your preprogrammed beliefs go and take hold of true gratitude. When you practice true gratitude, you begin feeling grateful for simply being alive now! You are grateful to be in the body you are in now, the room or environment you are in now, and the world you are in now! Now is the moment where true gratitude can shift a pessimistic mindset into an optimistic mindset. The place where true gratitude is nurtured is in the NOW!
Our very lives are taken for granted. Why? Only you know the answer. We are all unique individuals with unique perspectives of the world, so the answer cannot be compartmentalized.
On the other hand, with a daily practice of gratitude, you can learn to appreciate where you are now in all areas of your life. You may also begin to uncover areas that are being taken for granted which then opens the doorway for optimism. Taking the time each day to list everything that you are grateful for even for as little as five minutes each day will render results. You will notice a shift in your perception of life. You will begin to see more silver linings. You will wake up with a smile on your lips. You will notice that you are happier. You will start to uncover the power of present gratitude, the gift of life.
You may be pessimistic at first, but I think a pessimist is really an optimist in denial. There is no denying the fact that happiness is a choice and that what you choose to think of daily has a direct correlation with the trajectory of your life in its entirety. Think about that for a while. Now, be grateful that you are here now and can take or discard what you have just read. There is no clear-cut path in life, but it is up to you to decide what is worth being optimistic about.
Well, yet another post! I am optimistic that my words will reach a receiving audience :) The moral of this post is that being optimistic is a healthy approach to life, but more importantly, it is your ability to be grateful for everything that makes up your life in this current moment in time that really matters.
See the silver lining in every storm cloud and be grateful for the rain.
Till next time!
This is Julian with Noonday Star Coaching
References:
Harvard Health, P. (2008, May 1). Optimism and your health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/optimism-and-your-health
Comments