Find Your Inner Optimist and Set Her Free

When I was in elementary school, I wore the thickest, dorkiest glasses in the world on my chubby little face.

I was extremely near-sighted, so the lenses were like glass hockey pucks crammed into huge pink plastic frames (this was the 80s, after all).

I’ll never know why, but the employees at the eye glasses store always tinted the lenses just slightly, and you could even request a specific color. Somehow I ended up with lenses that were tinted a faint pink, just enough to brighten my complexion.

I liked the pink tint so much that I requested it every time I needed new lenses for the next 10 years. Here’s photographic proof.

I literally spent my youth looking at the world through rose-colored glasses…which is probably a good thing considering my miserable childhood.

Are you familiar with that phrase, “wearing rose-colored glasses”? It means you have an optimistic personality, and you see the good in every situation. It’s as if the world and everything in it has a shiny pink tint.

Thanks to laser eye surgery, I no longer wear glasses, but I still see my life through a screen of optimism.

Do you consider yourself an optimist?

Here’s the thing—you have an inner optimist who’d love to come out and play!

You’re Not a Pessimist—Really!

I don’t care if you’ve been calling yourself a pessimist your entire life. I don’t buy it.

It’s human nature to hope and dream, and even the grumpiest person still has a tiny spark of hope inside her.

You’re not a pessimist. You’re a lapsed optimist.

All you have to do is find a way to see the bright side of life again. Like Winston said, it’s really all in how you look at things.

The Benefits of Wearing Rose-Colored Glasses

Optimistic people don’t have better lives or more luck than pessimists. They’re simply better at noticing the good things all around them! Take Charlie’s advice and change your perspective.

Are you focusing your gaze on the bad things in your life? Where can you find a ray of sunshine in your day?

Maybe you got a good review at work. Maybe a client sent you a glowing testimonial. Maybe traffic was lighter than usual. Maybe your partner called just to say hello.

By looking at the events in your life through your rose-colored glasses, you’ll notice more and more things to be happy about.

And guess what? Those good things have always been there!

Nurture a Positive Attitude

Anne had it right, if you want to be happy and hopeful, focus your attention on the wonderful things in your life. Yes, there are always going to be challenges and obstacles along the way, but you have the choice whether to pay attention to them.

Make the conscious choice to be happy. Surround yourself with upbeat friends. Watch funny movies with positive messages. Sing happy songs—loudly and off key!

You have an inner optimist. Isn’t it time you saw the world through her eyes?

What personal goals are you optimistic about achieving?

This post focuses on Step 1 of the Life Editing Process, Create a Foundation. For more about life editing and what it can do for you, click here.

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