I used to cringe when hearing the words “positive thinking.” It conjured up images of a ‘Pollyanna’ type with a big, phony smile. I thought becoming an optimist meant being fake.

I would both envy and be annoyed by positive, optimistic people. It wasn’t fair that they seemed so
happy and confident, while I was practically born neurotic and insecure. 

I thought being positive meant stuffing down your feelings and believing that life was just peachy when it really wasn’t. But now I realized that not what it’s about. Being an optimist is choosing to believe in the best possible perspective of yourself and your life. It’s changing your personal story to empower you, rather than defeat you.

When I chose to become an optimist, my life improved dramatically. However, it wasn’t until recently, when I was in my mid-twenties that I decided to make this change.

Resisting Optimism

For many years I struggled with nihilism, low self-esteem, and depression. I carried around deep teenage angst and a ‘what’s the point in anything?’ mentality. 

I was never the kind of person that happiness just came naturally to. I always resented the happy-go-lucky people who were always to in a good mood. 

I could never just live life without questioning everything. I wanted to know the meaning of life. But now I’ve come to the conclusion that life has no meaning – except the meaning you give it. It’s our choice to decide.

Being an optimist means believing that life does have a significant meaning.

Read Related: How to Stop Letting Negative Emotions Control your Behavior

A New Take on Positivity

Here’s the good news: being a positive person does not have to look like some vanilla-y stereotype. It actually doesn’t require you to change your personality at all. Choosing to become an optimist allows you to become more of the person who you already are.

Trust me, it is worth it to become an optimist. It’s impossible to maintain sanity or happiness without doing so.

If you want a successful life, if you want to reach your goals – then it’s inevitable. You must become an optimist.  You’re never going to to have the life you truly want wallowing around like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. 

There’s two ways to look at the world: either negative or positive. Ultimately, there is no set ‘reality.’ Sure, there’s facts and figures, but it’s your choice how to decide what it all means. It’s your decision to believe things will get better or worse.

Change Your Story

Everyone has good and bad in their lives. Are you telling the story of your life with the glass half empty, or half full? Optimism is choosing to believe in the best possible perception of your current reality. 

Are you choosing to believe in the possibility that you really are an amazing person with limitless potential, or that you’re not good enough? It’s your choice on what you choose to believe. So why not choose the the best possible version to believe in? 

We ‘tell’ the story of our lives to ourselves with our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. Our emotions are then significantly influenced by whatever story we tell ourselves and believe in.

There is power in choice. It’s your life, your story. And it’s your choice how you’re going to tell it. 

Show Up as Your Best Self

Becoming an optimist only makes you more of who you already are. Choosing more positive thoughts will make you happier. And when you’re feeling your confident and happy, only then you’re free to be your truest, most authentic self. 

When you’re happy, you feel whole. Complete. Good enough. Only then are you able to have the courage and confidence to show up as your best self – and share your unique gifts with the world.

Positivity looks different on everyone. You don’t have to act like someone else. For some, it means jumping up and down, slapping high fives while offering free hugs. But that’s not for everybody.

It’s definitely not for me. My version of happiness and positivity is just sitting quietly with a calm inner feeling of contentment. So to hell with anyone one who tells you to smile more, get up and dance, or be more social. Being an optimist looks different for each person. It’s the same you, just the version that is freer from emotional pain and negativity.

Be a Rebel

In a world of negativity and nay-sayers, being an optimist means being a rebel. It’s standing up to a world that’s constantly telling you you’re not good enough, don’t take any risks, and to give up on your dreams.  

It’s rebelling against anyone who has every put you down or made you feel unworthy. No, you will not buy into their version of you. It’s flipping off all the voices in your head saying won’t succeed, telling you to give up, or that it’s just not worth it.

Optimism takes courage. It’s a rebellion against the status quo. An inner revolution.

So stop believing that your future is bleak. Optimism gives you the strength to break old, negative habits. Take charge of your life and define your own story.

Conclusion

In each moment, we have the choice to either believe that things are working out for us or that everything is just falling apart. Does the universe have our back, or are we left abandoned and cursed? Albert Einstein said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” 

Optimism requires us to believe in a friendly universe. What we choose to believe plays a big role in our happiness and what we can achieve.

So let go of your past disappointments and failures. Choose to become an optimist and have a mindset that will empower you rather than work against you. With this new perspective, you will start to see the beauty and purpose in your life, and all around you.

Read Next: 5 Positive Self-Loving Mindsets for Healthier, Happier Relationships

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