Optimism

Optimism is something that most adults should try to obtain throughout their lives. Instead of focusing on the negatives and what potentially could go wrong, I feel as though they should think about how it is all going to go right and how it will all be okay. If a person focuses on the negatives in life and they continue to put that out into the universe, they tend to receive it back as well. Being hopeful or having the confidence that something will go your way, honestly is a better way of life. I believe that if more people thought this way, there wouldn’t be so much animosity between people, or even jealousy of other people succeeding in something that you want to succeed in. They could do this through having a more open mind and bringing in the Law of Attraction. If you think it into existence, you are more apt to receive the thing that you are focusing on the most. This could also be great for your Health and Wellness since you are more driven to accomplish tasks, and you aren’t as stressed out when you don’t get the outcome you want.

According to Hefferson and Boniwell, optimism is considered a “Velcro Construct” in which puts happiness, health, and accomplishment all in the same category (Hefferson, et al., 2011). The correlation with a person’s happiness and optimism is so strong that we should see more people living their lives this same way. Remaining optimistic in situations can mitigate stressors in which we all know affect the human body tremendously. Instead of stressing about the situation we are in, we should remain optimistic that we will get the outcome that we desire. However, we must remain humble enough in case we don’t get the result we desire. I am going to use my recent Boxing match this previous Saturday as an example. Though I have been training hard and was speaking it out into the universe that I was going to win, I ended up losing. I allowed my mind to wander from my desired outcome, whether it was due to thinking of other aspects of life, or just allowing myself to get stuck in my head. Boxing for me is more of a mental game, since I have the cardio to go 15 rounds, my mind shuts down sometimes when I step into that ring. Furthermore, even within the feeling of defeat, I still hold my head high because it was a learning experience. I now know what I must work on, and I refuse to allow myself to give up because I am optimistic that I will only get better in the future.

Optimism in thee workplace can actually enhance yourself, and your fellow co-workers to work harder, especially when you all are working towards the same outcome. I will use my own small business as an example. I started a Partnership business with one of my good friends back in 2019, where we are the workers, owners, and advertisers. Though our plates fill up fast and the workload seems to get overwhelming, we get the tasks marked off the list. This last previous year through this pandemic was rough. We had to cut expenses and even cut our pay to make it through all of this. However, through the tribulations with emotions on edge, we remained optimistic that we would make it through, and we would do anything that we would need to, to make it happen. Here we are a year later, with work picking back up when we had every right to focus on the negatives and potentially sell our company.

In conclusion, optimism is great, and one of the best quality that an individual can have. I believe that anybody can obtain any goal that they have set for themselves, within reason of course. You still must remain logical and understand that you couldn’t be a big football star if you’re only five-foot-tall and 120 pounds. But having the serenity to accept the things you can’t change, the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference will assist you to becoming more optimistic. Optimism is a direct correlation to spirituality since most spiritual people pray to their higher power for the things they want in this world. Of course, they must put in the work as well, but continuously praying or putting your goals out in the universe can and will help you obtain them.

-Cyral I Callender III

References: Hefferon, K. and Boniwell, I. (2011). Optimism, explanatory style, and hope. Positive Psychology: Theory, Research, and Applications. New York, NY: Open University Press. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=375107&site=eds-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_iii.