Pollyanna or Scrooge?
| February 9, 2010 | Posted by Jodi Lee under Life Lessons |
Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
How you feel about this question can give you a glimpse into your explanatory style.
How you view your world, your life, your circumstance, affects everything you do. From your health, to your success ,to your ultimate happiness.
And it’s changeable.
It’s not an all or nothing situation. We all have elements of Pollyanna and Scrooge but it’s the habit we are looking for. What is your kneejerk reaction to your world? What is your tendency when something positive or negative happens to you? How do you explain what happends to you?
The key to optimistic thinking is to take control of your thoughts and talk back to them.
Demand evidence.
“I’m not good enough.” “Nobody cares about me.” “I’ll never succeed.”
Really?
Prove it.
Emiliya Zhivotovskaya suggests using these tag lines to force your brain to think differently about your life.
1 ) That’s not true because…
2) Another way of seeing that is…
3) The most likely outcome is… and I can…
For example:
“I’m so fat!” That’s not true because I have a healthy BMI, I’m eating well, and I’m working on becoming more active.
“I don’t get anything done.” Another way of seeing that is that I do get things done, it’s just that lately I’ve been have been busy doing other tasks.
“I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life.” The most likely outcome is that I will eventually find someone, there is no logical reason for me to be alone for the rest of my life, and I can speed the process up by getting really clear on what I want and going out with friends to meet new people.
You have the ability to choose your thoughts, choose responsibly…
It’s posts like this that keep me coming back and checking this site regularly, thanks for the info!
[Reply]
Hi Jodi,
Nice to visit your blog. I have always said I am an eternal optimist. People still laugh that I have been saying I am going to be a millionnaire since 1996! Haha but you know what I know that I am so thats all that matters.
And as the 14 years have passed I know that those people that doubt us and are pessimistic have seen me come on in leaps and bounds and that I am one step closer!
If people have not been blessed with being born a natural optimist I truely believe that there are lots of ways that people can change their mindsets and become more
I have written about it here.
http://bethhewittonline.com/are-you-a-change-optimist/
I would love to know what you think.
Thank you for sharing your post.
I look forward to reading more from you.
Beth Hewitt
Beth Hewitt´s last blog ..Beginners Guide to Blogging
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:15 am
hi Beth,
Stick to your beliefs! do you know the story 3 feet from gold? You are so there! I will stop by your blog and check out your posts.
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Hi Jodi,
I like that you offer “a glimpse into your explanatory style” I believe that everything begins with a thought, it is how we nurture, or not, that thought that brings forth the reality in our life, and yes, it’s changeable!
Thank you for the reminder to choose our thoughts responsibly!
Rebecca
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for your comments. Sometimes we just need a small kick to remember what we always knew.
[Reply]
Great post. How we react in any situation is really a choice. Making the decision to be optimistic and have positive self talk is one we can all make. Thanks Jodi!
Kara Grabenhorst´s last blog ..Success By Association?
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Hi Kara,
Thanks for dropping by. It is a choice, isn’t it! I do my best to choose well.
[Reply]
Hey Jodi! I love that you give examples of what to say to replace negative self talk. Optimism is definitely a choice and something that you have to constantly work on. If you work on it long enough though, it will start to come naturally. I find that I almost always find my self finding the good in even bad situations. You can choose to focus on the things you don’t like or the things you do like.
I think the one that I need to work on using in my life is “the most likely outcome is…”. This is great for preventing yourself from coming up with the worse possible scenario.
Thanks for sharing the great tips!
Melissa Wright´s last blog ..You’ve Been Laid Off…Now What?
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Hi Melissa,
It takes practice and we alwsy have to keep at it. I like that tag line the best too, helps in those panicky my life is over moments.
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great post ,
it definitely is all about the Mindset,
and we all a choices to make.
jean´s last blog ..Personal Branding.
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Thanks, Jean!
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Thanks for these great tips. Self talk is by far one of the most important aspects of life. So many of us have been conditioned towards negative thoughts that pessimism comes naturally.
The good news is that each of us has a choice about how we perceive the world. We don’t have to rely on our past conditioning, we only have to be in the present moment.
Replacing the negative thoughts that appear with positive self talk is the first step towards optimism and healthy self esteem.
Thanks JodiLee!
Kathy Jodrey´s last blog ..How To Add Facebook Fan Page to Blog In Less than 5 Minutes
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for stopping by. Undoing those habits does take some work, but it’s so worth it!
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Hi Jodi,
Thanks for your inspiring wisdom and sharing with everyone that no matter what, it truly is the mindset! Great blog… you’re the best!
{{hugs}}
Lyn-Dee
[Reply]
Jodi Lee Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Thanks, Lyn-Dee
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