The power of being an optimist

Positive outcomes of being an optimist:

There are endless positive outcomes to being an optimist but a few that stand out to me are as follows; better ability to be a problem solver, improved physical and mental health, improved longevity, being more productive, better at working collaboratively and overall feeling happier. The National Institute of Aging suggest that ‘optimism may benefit health and well-being because it is linked to reduced exposure to stress’ in their article on how optimism is linked to longevity and well being which proves the importance of being an optimist.

Optimism in a leadership position

Having a positive attitude in a leadership position can be pivotal for your success as it creates a positive work environment, enables you to positively influence and inspire others and allows you to perform in an active and engaged manner. Helen Keller, an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer states that ‘“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." which reinforces how important being an optimist is in a leadership position.

Incorporating a positive attitude into your everyday life:

Incorporating a positive attitude into your everyday life creates healthy and positive habits and, in general, will make you a happier person. Here are some positive habits to include in your everyday:

1.       Positive affirmations – by repeating positive statements to yourself you will rewire your brain to change the way you feel about things and will help you focus on the positive. For example, positive affirmations could include ‘I am loved’, ‘I am successful’ or ‘I am kind’.

2.       Turning negatives into positives – any statement can be turned into a positive, for example instead of saying ‘I’m not very good at hockey’ you could say ‘I will get better with practice’

3.       Replace ‘have’ with ‘get’ – replacing ‘have’ with ‘get’ gives you a greater appreciation for the things you are doing. For example, instead of saying ‘I have to go for a run’ say ‘I get to go on a run’ or replace ‘I have to go to work’ with ‘I get to go to work’.

4.       At the end of each day write 3 positive things that happened in your day – doing this helps you focus and reflect on the positive parts of your day.

In this article I have discussed the positive outcomes of being an optimist, importance in leadership positions and how to incorporate a positive attitude into your everyday life to highlight the importance and power of being an optimist. I would like to end this article with a quote from Dr Wayne Dyer, an American author and motivational speaker, to allow you to reflect on the power of being an optimist: ‘If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’.