Regardless of what challenges you face in life, being optimistic and therefore having confidence in yourself is the first step towards success. Once you believe you can do something, you’re already halfway there!
One of the most effective ways to build self-confidence and be an optimist is to understand. Understand your values and live your life consistent with those values, this alignment gives you power. Take time often to reflect about who you are, what you believe in, and what’s important to you. Also understand what you are doing. If you’re driving a car and you understand exactly how to drive it, you will feel confident to drive it, even while talking on the phone, and that confidence will give you the feeling of optimism and all other feelings positive.
Optimism makes life happier and more meaningful. Perpetual optimism then is the force multiplier. As a proud eternal optimist myself, I can barely put into words the magnitude of power that optimism has on our lives. So a few ways optimism can help you are:
Optimism enhances the level of joy
If you constantly think optimistically about the future then you are likely to be thinking about good things that can happen. This flood of positive thoughts can add joy to your life now. And, by having faith and working towards goals to make these good things happen, you are likely to be more proactive to deal with life’s difficulties and stress. Find joy in everything you choose to do and you will live a joyful life. I’m all about joy and growing in our personal life and business while having fun, that’s why my mastermind group is called the Joyful CEO Mastermind. By the way, the Joyful CEO Mastermind a half year hybrid coaching program with monthly 1:1 coaching with me, group coaching and expert coaching, so reach out to me in case you’re interested to having a group of amazing women with high energy, motivation, and commitment to grow together.
Ok, so stress is an inevitable part of life but the way you react and handle it matters the most and determines your entire experience. Optimistic people do not overthink and let the stress sink in, therefore, there would be no place for stress to stay and as a result, there is only room left in life for positivity and happiness.
Optimism enhances your health
So many studies have shown that optimists are more likely to maintain better physical health. Because optimists tend to have lower levels of stress and pain, they usually have stronger immune systems and therefore remain healthier and even live longer.
Healthy people who are optimistic report they simply feel better. People who are diagnosed with cancer have found a much higher recovery rate when they are optimistic.
Optimism enhances your relationships
Now let’s be real, who wants to be talking to a bitter face all the time, no one. So when you radiate sunshine, your life will be filled with more sunshine. A healthy dose of optimism in your relationship or friendship allows you to notice the good things about your partner/friend and see the positive side of situations and a positive outcome for the future.
Optimism enhance your productivity
There’s a quote by Oscar Wilde that says that the difference between an optimist and a pessimist is that the optimist sees the donut, and the pessimist sees the hole.
Seriously, though, I laughed out loud when I first read this quote because there’s such a huge difference in these two viewpoints, and which point of view you take can have a huge impact on your work, health, and life. Who would you rather work with or hang out with, someone who lightens up the day and supports you, or someone who habitually complains about everything and blames others? High performers are more flexible, resilient, joyful and not stuck in any self-absorbed defensive or negative behaviors. Therefore they produce higher results in their work.
Optimism is your seed to growing opportunities
Increasing the positive in your day doesn’t happen on its own. Opportunities don’t appear to be opportunities if you’re not positive. You have to consciously deflect the negative, let them go, and do positive things to move forward. We may not be in charge of much in this uncertain world, but we can absolutely control our minds and how we think about what happens to us. And that controls everything. Remember the choice is always yours: is the cup half-full or half-empty? The secret lies in reframing the situation and you will see that the power of optimism will lead you to beautiful new opportunities.
Optimism is a hopeful, positive outlook on the future, on yourself, and on the world around you. Optimism helps you see, feel, and think positively. And remember you don’t have to be born an optimist to use the power of optimism. Optimism is a strength that we all possess, choose to turn the switch on for this magical function in you.
Lucy Liu is a global business strategist and certified life coach helping high achieving
women in life transitions unstuck, kiss overwhelm bye, cultivate rockstar confidence, see clarity, reach dream goals, and live a joyful fulfilling life! She is an unshakable optimist, wife, mother, easy-going entrepreneur, certified #IamRemarkable women empowerment workshop facilitator, and international motivational speaker. She is the author of two international bestselling books and also inspires as the host of her weekly podcast The Lucy Liu Show, which is the fueling station for your mind, business and life. She has been featured in Medium, VoyageLA, Elephant Journal, ThriveGlobal, FOX, CBS, NBC and dozens of other media outlets. 
