How to Stay Optimistic + Maximize the Moment

Staying optimistic can be tough. Taking an optimistic and positive view also creates more stability and possibility in a time where things might seem fragile and frustrating. Tapping into your optimism and taking full advantage of your resources can be simple. Here's how:

1. Look beyond the moment, take the long view.
Worry can be daunting. The moment to moment to do’s can be overwhelming and distracting. Yes, what you do now matters. Every moment counts. This being said, the troubling times of right now are not permanent. Take the long view, think about how much has been overcome and surmounted up until now. Pregnancy is a great example of taking the long view: 9-10 months of potential discomfort, uncertainty, new requirements and responsibility, all lead to new life, new possibility, new family. 

Consider all you have gone through & grown through. Think about how potentially amazing the future can be and consider how this difficult experience you are going through (or those of the recent past) might just be preparing you for the success and satisfaction ahead. Like Stephen Colbert recently reminded, “Every bit of darkness is only for now. The light always wins.”

2. Laugh with fear.

Make progress and overcome the analysis paralysis by laughing at the unknown, your uncertainty, and the irony of life. Laughing can be so cathartic. Even when you are scared, don’t dismiss the fear but don’t take it as the whole truth either. Humor can be a way to avoid facing things that are unsettling, yet for most it is an under-utilized tool. Laughing sparks the “feel good” hormones in the body and brain, which lead to more optimism and happiness. Who couldn’t use some more of this?

Taking things super seriously is an vicious cycle that strips away all joy. A little laughter can go a long way. 

3. Trust your ability to change.

Whether making new choices to get different results or seeing through a different lens, you have incredible power in you. Change comes with being alive, choosing how you change is a real life super power. What’s done is done but your ability to respond to what’s happened is still in your control. Every day, you are becoming… either you are changing in empowering ways or continuing unconscious patterns. Wake up, trust yourself, choose how you want to live and change, grow, evolve. How beautiful can it get? It’s up to you, you change agent, you.

4. Team up with your people.

We become who we spend the most time with. If you want to be more positive, optimistic and upbeat, surround yourself with people who embody these traits. It's tough, if not impossible, to change and evolve if you're being held down or back by old, outdated energy. For example, if you make a commitment to exercise daily while most of your friends prioritize drinking and Netflix, more than likely you will revert to what they do, and there goes your commitment follow through. On the other hand, if you team up with or befriend energetic and enthusiastic nature lovers, it's probable you will start hiking, rock climbing or even ocean swimming before you know it. 

​The same is true if you want to see the world through the eyes of gratitude and positivity. Being around those who constantly gossip or complain will make it difficult to stay upbeat. Who is someone who radiates positivity and brings out the best in you? Give them a call and set up a date. 

Set yourself up for success and satisfaction. Surround yourself with people who have what you want, value what you do and even further along the path you are starting. Mentors, coaches, masterminds, group classes and support groups can be incredible resources and accountability in getting you to where you want to go.

With optimism comes more to be optimistic about. Perspective is everything! In this moment, maximizing what's here leads to new awareness and possibility. Start simply. Start small. 

What is one thing you can do today to increase your optimism and make the most of where you are?