I have been reading Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book “The How of Happiness”. A relevant topic in the times we are living. The day after I wrote the blog about “perseverance” I read about optimism. According to research, both hers and others, cultivating optimism is a good tool to be happy. She says in book: “Optimism motivates us and leads us to take initiative. Optimists don’t easily give up.” How appropriate is that. While the media is busy telling us how bad the economy is, we are busy changing our belief, to get paid what we are worth. It is a radical shift and optimism is needed to succeed.
In the book Sonja teaches different activities to help us become happier. Cultivating optimism is one of them. For us, it is to know that we WILL BE PAID what we are worth. To belief that we are worth it, and that we can do it despite all the doom and gloom in the media. We might reposition us in the job market. That could mean for some learning new skills or freshen up on old skills. When we know we can do this the anxiety and the pessimism is left behind. Sonja also talks in her book about how we are more resourceful when we have the pessimism out of our life.
Another thing is to look at the bright side and allow us to see a brighter future that is essential for us to keep moving along. Knowing that we WILL have a brighter future. This can be hard when the news media is as busy as it is telling us that the economy is going further and further down. Therefore cultivating optimism is important.
I want to insert here that it is not an absolute that everybody is seeing his or her personal financial situation becoming worse. Many people I know are having the most financially rewarding time ever. These people are the ones that practice gratitude and optimism. With persistence and perseverance they have been able to reap the benefits of their work. They look at the bright side of life and enjoy.
How does anything else make us feel better?
Love and peace,
ElinAnna