Being an optimist doesn’t mean you have to be unrealistic or naïve, or that you have to think like Pollyanna. You can be as brutally honest as possible about your current circumstances. You can very much dislike your present conditions. Even be fed-up and dying to change. The thing is, being an optimist has nothing to do with your here and now. It has to do with what you expect from the future.
The Golden Tip:
Positive future expectations create positive emotions in the now.
Here are the 4 stages to making that happen.
1. The Seed
Planting seeds of optimism in your heart. Even though you don’t know what your flower will look like, visualizing it makes you smile. You trust that, one way or another, there will be a flower. That it’ll make it. That it’ll be beautiful. Meaning, when you think about your future, you are positively expecting.
But Buddha taught it isn’t enough to plant good seeds; we must also get rid of the bad influences that prevent them from growing. It’s very important for you to be aware of the sources of negativity in your life – be it environments, tasks or people. Begin to
protect yourself as much as you can.
2. The Seedling
Think about the things that are working out for you – this will automatically bring you to a positive place. Ask yourself, what do I do when I make mistakes in these areas? Chances are, you simply learn from your misstep and continue to walk stronger and more confident.
You keep your self-trusting optimistic attitude.
Start bringing this attitude into the not-so-successful areas of your life. Notice the things you’re doing right in these areas however tiny they are. Notice how you feel when you do this. Good, right? Water these nascent pockets of positivity.
Start small. Nothing grows overnight. Do your best to imagine a happy outcome.
3. The Stem
Yes! You’re growing. Now you just need some outside encouragement, like plants needing plant support. Find someone who has a great relationship with the future – a life coach or
a psychic advisor. Tell them how you’re excavating your fossilized old beliefs and replacing them with future-friendly ones. Ask if they can help.
Are you concerned about potential failures? Ask your coach how they have made a friend out of the future. How is it to trust that it’ll all be okay? How do they stay grounded and make those decisions that affect the future? Explore together the issues that make you the most nervous about the coming months and years.
4. The Flower
Things improving? Share the joy. Like a flower making a statement just by being its peaceful blissful self. Show your colors. People will notice the change in your energy and compliment you – let the praise make you happier.
Flowers lean towards the sun. On beautiful days and on not so beautiful days. They always trust that sun will shine again. So always be your most trusting, most confident, and most colorful self, and you’ll see that the universe is there for you.
Our wellness in the here and now has a lot to do with our relationship with the future. The ability to turn that relationship into a positive affair will greatly improve the way you feel right here right now. It will make you a happy and a strong person. Positive future expectations, positive living.