If you think you’re a natural-born pessimist and there’s no hope of ever turning your mindset around, then think again! According to mental health experts, it is very much possible to turn into a person who always looks at a half-filled glass, rather than a half empty glass. It can be done. We just need to follow what the experts have found are helpful when it comes to seeing things in a positive light. 

1) Always Choose to Be Optimistic: Think Positive

Life is all about choices. We can opt to spend the entire day reading, cleaning or gardening. We can make meals ourselves or choose to go out to eat. We can make that call we have been thinking about for a while or we can put it off for another day.

We can also choose to be positive or we can choose to simply carry on living as we are. Being optimistic in a negative world starts with the decision to be positive and to carry on that way for the rest of our lives.

“The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.” — George Eliot

“As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we’ve been given.” — Mary Lou Retton

2) Avoid those who Sap your Energy

Such people are called ‘toxic’ and ‘whiners’, but we can all recognize a pessimist when we see one and can recognize their horrible ability to suck all the positive energy out of a place. Therefore, it’s important to establish healthy limits with such people, otherwise, they might end up sucking all the life out of us.

3) Imagine a Positive Future

This might sound too simplistic but writing down our ideas of an optimistic future will make a huge difference when it comes to our overall outlook on life. You may also want to consider a serious challenge you have in life right now and simply sit back and think about all the possible positive outcomes.

“Hope is like a road in the country; there wasn’t ever a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.” — Lin Yutang

4) Bestow Positivity on Others

Making others feel good about themselves can have lasting positive effects on our own lives. We may have also experienced at times, when we were low on confidence and someone helped us see things in a positive light. 

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schwietzer

We should never forget to praise our family, friends and colleagues for the good things which they are doing in their lives, even if they don’t directly affect us. Of course, we should never forget to praise ourselves also, even for what might seem like the most trivial things.

5) Recognize Your Negative Thought Patterns

It’s fine to acknowledge that bad things in life might happen at any time. After all, ignoring reality isn’t the most helpful tactic either. Being excessively negative, though, can seriously sabotage our chances of finding happiness in this life.

When we begin to think in a negative manner, we should take a moment to work out just how realistic our thoughts really are. Re-framing our negative thoughts into more realistic patterns may be the key to helping us maintain an optimistic outlook.

6) Practice Gratitude

Spending some time thinking about all the things we must be thankful for, will often give us an instant optimism boost. There are many things in our lives, which we have taken for granted rather than feeling grateful for them. We only understand their value once we lose them. Moreover, our focus is only on things which we don’t have. It is like the tongue constantly going in the empty space of a lost tooth and lamenting its loss, ignoring the other thirty-one teeth and being grateful for their presence.  

We can also choose to keep a gratitude journal, where we can jot down anything which makes us smile. If nothing else, we need to take a moment occasionally, to stop, smile and be thankful for all the positive things in our lives. 

“The optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist the hole!”

— Wilson McLandburgh