Some may say, whichever it is, it clearly needs topping up!
Optimism and pessimism are states of mind. We have learned to be whichever we are by our own experiences, the influence of other people in our lives, and our beliefs. Despite this we can choose to change how we see things by changing our thinking.
Most of us wake not even thinking about being grateful that we have woken up. Many of us have a hot shower to enjoy and some breakfast to eat, maybe we have a job we enjoy, maybe we have people or animals in our lives we love and enjoy, maybe all sorts. Maybe we forget to be grateful for those things in our lives and maybe we feel dissatisfied and want more. Maybe we focus on what we don’t have, don’t like, don’t enjoy. Some people are very happy and content with very little and some people are still dissatisfied although they have a great deal.
There is evidence that pessimists experience depression much more than optimists do. This is a result of how, as individuals, we look at life.
If focusing on what you don’t like, or what you don’t have, (pessimistic thinking), has become the way you look at life and you have done this for some time, years, then it has probably now become a habit.
The good news is that habits can be broken. Making a change that you then repeat will result in you forming a new habit to replace the old habit. Therefore, if you start thinking in a more positive way and expect positive things to happen, then this will soon become your new habitual way to see things, turning you, with time, from a pessimist to an optimist and improving your overall happiness.
Consulting a Life Coach can be a very effective to challenge your current beliefs and exchange them for ones that will bring you a more contented, less anxious and more fulfilled life.
