“Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies” says Andy (Tim Robbins) to Red (Morgan Freeman) in The Shawshank Redemption.
For a while now I have been debating the power of Optimism and hope in my head. And being a sucker for logic, I tend to look for evidences that point towards the positive and exponential power an optimistic mindset can unleash. Science points out to this fact as well where a study looks into the mechanics of optimism in reducing risk of dying prematurely.
For me, it all started with reading Viktor Frankl’s work – Man’s Search for Meaning, where Frankl, a neurologist & a psychiatrist and an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, speaks of his method identifying a purpose in life to feel positively about, and then immersively imagining that outcome (I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone). This compounded by my work experience at my previous organization, where one of the core values was having an optimistic mindset, led me to think more about Hope & Optimism.
And I have observed this in both my personal and professional life. The day I wake up optimistic and hopeful is the day I maximize my potential. It connects my true internal self to the external world and works out wonders. In short, Magic Happens. Here’s how I feel the day I feel optimistic:
1. All my inner faculties, gathered through the years of studying, reading, working, playing – everything that defines me, come out vividly in a positive manner. I feel connected. This article is an example of my enthusiasm to write & share.
2. I am high on energy, passion and enthusiasm. Low on pessimism & negativity. I feel abundance. Here’s an interesting article on wonders of abundant thinking, published by the renowned VC Firm – FirstRound Capital.
3. All of life’s big problems appear small and solvable. My thinking goes on a whole different level, as if it was a magical wand fulfilling what I want. I feel satisfied.
Just few of the things that I highly value and believe are super important to anyone, absolutely anyone.
So the question then is, why do i step in a Negative, Pessimistic zone at all? Well, this is a problem I have been trying to solve but here’s the thing and the downside of negativity. Its a powerful force, one that (much like a blackhole) has a gravitational pull strong enough to pull you onto itself. And getting out of it is the challenge. Here’s what I am trying to do as I am becoming more and more aware about it to jump out the moment I am pulled into this blackhole:
1. Mindfulness: I am finding Meditation to be quite invigorating. I use Headspace to drive this, however the days I meditate, the days I am more aware and mindful of myself are the days when I best perform.
2. Waking up early: I suck at doing this. But then there are days when I decide to sleep early and utilize the early morning time. It definitely makes my entire day worthwhile.
3. Keep Learning: I need to write an entire post on this aspect. However, I love learning. This could either be through courses or stories, essentially I am learning from someone’s experience – Academic (coursera, udemy, codeacademy etc.) or personal (farnam street, thrive etc.). The compounded effects of always learning are difficult to estimate however this works in wonderful ways. A lot of times a lot of ideas come to me when I am reading or hearing something.
4. Read up Positive Stories: There are negative stories all around you. These could come from your boss, your friends, local news anchor or a book you are reading. However, one of the best ways to discard all of these is to hear or read one positive story and that breaks through all of this negative clutter.
5. Spending more time with people I love: A pattern that always almost recurs is the time I meet my parents. Most of the year I stay away from them. However the day I meet them & spend time with them, life has a positive meaning & an optimistic frame of mind.
Here are a few things I did like to do to be optimistic every single day:
1. Volunteer to help someone: A lot of us (me included) have been involved with NGOs and/or charitable work in the past and most likely this was meant to build our portfolio towards that prestigious college admission. However, I think this could be a powerful, self-satisfying initiative that makes one feel good about oneself. And sometimes that’s all you need to do well.
2. Overcome a Challenging Goal: I have certain habits I’ve developed over years and victory over even one of them should be confidence inducing.
3. Defeating fears: I am non-swimmer and for the longest time was scared of getting into water with a life-jacket. But slowly as I experienced getting into water, I understood the joy that brought to me. I want to do more of such things.
Finally, in my book, all the above are tactics to feeling peaceful, joyful, calm and optimistic everyday. Cause, that’s the single biggest strength one can develop.
If you do chance upon this article, I’d love to hear how you keep your optimistic every day. Do comment or drop me a note at bnonymously [at] gmail [dot] com.
I am still 1% Done…but it’s a journey that I want to enjoy. Being optimistic helps.
Cheers
B
*Image Source: Lifehack.org
1% Done... 