“You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can’t do something themselves, they’re gonna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” Chris Gardner as played by Will Smith in the movie” The Pursuit of Happiness.”
Happiness is by far the most crucial aspect of our lives and we seek it through a good profession, relationship, self-love, doing things we love, having thought processes such as self-compassion or gratitude, doing things we enjoy, family, and friends or any other activity bringing us contentment.
Have you heard of the half-empty and half-full glass analogy of optimism and pessimism?
If we have a cup of water, how do we interpret it? Is it just a glass that is half-empty (pessimism) or is it a glass that is half-full (optimism)? Is this how we can view our situations and life as a whole?
We are constantly searching for or in the pursuit of happiness, yet we are subconsciously plagued by negativity. However, instead of searching for or being in the pursuit of happiness can we joyfully live in the present moment, accept our reality and be happy?
Optimism is the feeling of hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something. It is a mental attitude that we all try to lean towards throughout our life. After all, what is the point of negativity if not just a setback?
Negativity Bias – We all have a negativity bias deeply ingrained in our cognition to think that there are more negative aspects of life than positive ones. This is why if anything – positive or negative happens our initial thought would perhaps be negative. Suppose we are nervous in public and think we will fail in delivering a speech that we have to give. Our initial thoughts would be of fear and anxiety. Do we ever think, but what if I succeed? What if nothing goes wrong?
This is where we need to employ our positivity and optimism instead of merely allowing negativity to walk along with us.
Positivity is common-sense isn’t it so why place so much importance on it? The power of positive statements or even affirmations goes a long way in wiring our brains and our self-talk dialogue.
Are we really implementing positive psychology in our daily lives or is it just a concept that we are aware of?
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE A PERSON HAS WITH PERSISTENT HOPELESSNESS IS THE ABILITY TO PICK ONESELF UP!
WITH EVERY NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE, ONE CAN SINK FURTHER AND GIVE UP!
Negativity usually shows up unannounced and in unwanted spaces. The real trouble is when we are unable to push past it. One might even lose their zest in life but is this what life is about… behaving robotically? At times we may feel defeated in life but we have to practically tackle situations and realise that sometimes it is only a series of mundane days!
Emotions are vast and complex. At one point we can be feeling happy and optimistic and a few moments later dive deep into pessimism. Both optimism and pessimism are important components of our personality and one cannot oversee the other.
The most important thing is allowing a ‘conscious’ and ‘informed’ decision of hope and optimism to steer control in our lives.
