The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our thoughts.  We can say that we act according to our thoughts. If we act according to permanent principles and values, our thoughts must be based on those principles and values.

We are rational beings because we think, as a philosopher once said, “Thinking requires stopping and thinking.” This is the complete opposite of going through life like a headless chicken, that is, acting without thinking or exercising willpower. On the contrary, when action is not based on reflection, emotions and feelings (the tyranny of emotivism) follow, which animalize people, so that they end up unable to distinguish between truth and lies, between good and evil.

To grow as individuals and avoid personal, family, or professional conflicts, it is essential to cultivate an optimistic mindset. 

First, think positively, that is, focus your attention on the good in everyone and discover the positive aspects of everything that happens to you.

Optimism is a positive way of perceiving reality. Being a positive person is something you learn. It’s a personal task that takes time. Optimism, according to Dr. Enrique Rojas, can be defined as follows:  “Optimism is an attitude characterized by the tendency to discover more positive than negative aspects and to see or hope for the best, despite appearances. ”  It is, above all, an attitude, which means it’s a disposition, the habitual way of reacting to something; it’s like a posture. It’s not genetic, but acquired, and is achieved through repeated efforts.

Let’s think about so many circumstances in everyday life where failure occurs, something that has gone wrong; a serious financial problem, an illness, a humiliation witnessed by many.  Optimism leads us to discover the positive in all these experiences.  This leads us to believe that things can and should change. And we take the appropriate measures to try, despite the hardships.

One of the leading figures in positive psychology is Martin Seligman, who points out that optimism consists of believing that everything can improve, no matter how difficult the circumstances.  Optimists propose solutions, seeking alternatives.

Let’s not forget that our first approximation to reality is emotional.  In other words, feelings influence our way of thinking.  And psychologists and psychiatrists know this well. When we feel good, we see things differently. There’s a part of our brain that regulates emotions and changes the way we organize our thoughts.

Positive and optimistic thinking can be realized by keeping in mind that:

1. Beneath the negative events, there’s a silver lining that each of us must uncover:  it takes love and patience.  The first is determination; the second is knowing how to wait and continue.
2. We must raise our sights, leaving the immediate for the intermediate. We must take a long-term view of the game. Don’t get caught up in the here and now.  Short-termism is not a good path. We’re moving toward the medium and long term. That’s the intelligent approach.
3. We must learn to thrive in the face of difficulties. There are two fundamental traits found in pessimism:  defeatism, which is nothing more than anticipating negative thoughts, thinking things will turn out badly; and victimhood, the firm belief that one always suffers harm and is harmed, and that things are just the way they are.
4. The optimist is a born fighter. He doesn’t give up when things get tough or don’t go as expected. Perseverance quickly comes along to lend a hand, and that’s why he fights, strives, persists, starts again, gets back up. It’s his tenacity that keeps him going, the determination to never give up.

Life is like sailing. As the writer and theologian William George Ward said, “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist waits for it to change; the realist trims the sails.” Optimism is the art of living with hope. 

Published in To be happy