Be an Optimist at All Times

Everyone want to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well. The true measure of "mental fitness" is how optimistic you are about yourself and your life. Now, you can learn how to control your thinking in very specific ways so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.

Control Your Reactions and Responses

   There are 3 basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists. The first difference is that the optimists sees setback as temporary, while the pessimists sees it as permanent. The optimists sees an unfortunate event, such as an order that falls through or a sales call that fails, as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimists on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.

Isolate the Incident

   The second difference between the optimists and the pessimists is that the optimists sees difficulties as specific, while the pessimists sees them pervasive. This means that when things go wrong for the optimists, he or she looks at the event as an isolated incident largely disconnected from other things that are going on in their life.

See Setbacks as Temporary Events

   For example, if something you were counting on failed to materialize and you interpreted it to yourself as being an unfortunate event, but something that happens in the course of life and business, you would be reacting like an optimists. The pessimists, on the other hand, sees disappointments as being pervasive. That is, to him or her they are indications of a problem or shortcoming that pervades every area of life.

Don't Take Failure Personally

   The fourth differences is that optimists see events as external, while pessimists interpret events as personal. When things go wrong, the optimists will tend to see setback as resulting from external factors over which one has little control. If the optimist is cut off in traffic, for example, instead of getting angry or upset, he will simply downgrade the importance of the event by saying something like, "Oh, well I guess that person is just having a bad day". The pessimists on the other hand, has a tendency to take everything personally. If the pessimists is cut off in the traffic, he will react as though the other driver has deliberately acted upset and frustrate him.

Remain Calm and Objective

   The hallmark of the fully mature, fully functioning, self actualizing personality is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The superior person has the ability to continue talking to himself in a positive and optimistic way, keeping his mind calm, clear and completely under control. The mature personality is more relaxed and aware and capable of interpreting events more realistically and less emotionally than is the immature personality. As a result a mature person exerts a far greater sense of control and influence over his environment, and is far less likely to be angry, upset or distracted.

Take a Long View

   Look upon the inevitable setbacks that you face as being temporary, specific and external. View the negative situation as a single event that is not connected to other potential events and that is caused largely by external factors over which you can have a little control. Simply refuse to see the event as being in any way permanent, pervasive or indicative of personal incompetence of inability. Resolve to think like an optimist, no matter what happens. You may not be able to control events but you can control the way you react to them.

Action Exercises

   Now, here are 3 actions you can take immediately to put these idea into actions. First, remind yourself continually that setbacks are only temporary, they will soon be past and nothing is as serious as you think it is. Second look upon each problem as a specific event, not connected to other events and not indicative of a pattern of any kind. Deal with it and get on with your life. Third, recognize that when things go wrong, they usually caused by variety of external events. Say to yourself, "What can't be cured must be endured", and then get back to thinking about your goals.