THE ONE MINUTE MOTIVATOR
How full is your glass?
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s view and live an empowering and fulfilling life.
Optimists always expect the best. Pessimists, by contrast, tend to believe that bad events will always befall them, and these bad events will last a long time and undermine everything they do.
Optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks in life, but what differs is the way they explain their misfortune. They tend to believe that defeat is just a temporary event. If they are knocked down, they will stand up. They will more often see opportunities instead of obstacles and learn from their setbacks.
People respond positively to optimists. Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world is contagious and they positively influence others.
When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher. Optimists maintain higher levels of well-being during times of stress than those who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with these challenges. Pessimists are more likely to quit when difficulties arise.
Optimists are healthier and live longer. Medical research has proven that a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body’s ability to fight disease. Optimists tend to age better.
So why not choose to be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life
“Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars.” – Frederick Langbridge
Article by John Lloyd, Brandstorm
An extract from my book Smart Thinking for Crazy Times
