Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
How would you like to have more abundance, enjoy better health and success? We all do and it is within our reach. Science is beginning to prove that optimistic people do better financially, are healthier and live longer than pessimistic people.
By nature, most people tend toward either optimism or pessimism, regardless of their relationship with God. Most people’s glass is either “half full” or “half empty.” But, natural optimism is not necessarily the same as biblical optimism.
Hope is the foundation of biblical optimism and it is God’s desire for us to be full of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13). Hope is a God filled expectancy about the future.
“Children are born optimists and over the course of time, life happens,” says Jason Wachob, co-founder and CEO of the healthy living website MindBodyGreen.com. “Circumstances change and cynicism set in, but deep down most of us want to get back to the optimism of our childhood.”
David Mezzapelle, the author of Contagious Optimism, has studied optimistic people for five years: “Optimism isn’t a pie-in-the-sky ideal. It’s not closing your eyes and being in the clouds. People often tell me they’re a realist, but the reality alone may prevent you from getting past first base. Combine optimism with acceptance of the life you’ve been dealt, and the sky’s the limit.”
Whether they know it or not, Wachob and Mezzapelle have tapped into biblical hope. Here are seven traits they give that optimists share that will help us grow in biblical optimism.
1. They express gratitude
Being appreciative of significant blessings, isn’t enough; Mezzapelle says optimists are grateful for the smallest things in life. “The sun coming up in the morning, your child or dog excited to see you, being thankful for the littlest thing makes the bigger things that much better,” he says. Optimists also find good in hardships, obstacles, and failures, because these are the situations that give you strength and resilience: “When optimists stumble across problems, it doesn’t seem as bad because they’ve learned to always find the silver linings.”
2. They donate their time and energy
Whether it’s helping at the local soup kitchen or being available to people you know, Wachob says, giving back is a habit optimistic people practice. “This helps you feel grateful for what you have,” he says. “It’s a good place to start if you want to become more optimistic.” Mezzapelle agrees: “No matter what you’re going through, you need to be good to others and help when you can. The spirit of altruism can make you feel optimistic about your own life.”
3. They’re interested in others
When people hear the stories of how others persevere, it fosters optimism, says Mezzapelle. “People often think they’re alone in their struggles, such as divorce, cancer, or financial problems. When they hear about people who’ve experienced the same thing and came out on the sunny side, it can give them hope, and hope is the foundation of optimism.” Wachob says simply reading inspirational stories can help. “This is something everyone can do on a daily basis. There are so many fantastic stories about amazing people who overcome incredible odds.”
4. They surround themselves with upbeat people
You are the sum of the people you spend time with, says Wachob. “If you are with pessimists, every time you hang out with them it can be draining. If you’re with optimists, however, it’s easy to absorb that energy and it can be powerful.” Mezzapelle likes a phrase coined by Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton: “Optimism is a happiness magnet.” “It’s true,” he says. “When you’re around people who are positive and upbeat, it brings you up.”
5. They don’t listen to naysayers
What other people do or say is a reflection of their own reality, not yours, says Mezzapelle. Optimistic people don’t take the opinions of others too seriously when they don’t agree. This means not listening to the naysayers who will tell you that you can’t achieve your goals: “You can disagree with other opinions that’s the beauty of life,” Mezzapelle says. “Don’t look at it any other way and don’t let it affect you. It’s their reality, not yours.”
6. They forgive others
While this can be easier said than done, Mezzapelle says optimists have an ability to forgive. “The easiest way to forgive is to reflect on the fact that the past is the past,” he says. “Make peace with it so that it doesn’t spoil the present.”
7. They smile
Smiling creates a happy environment that draws others in, says Mezzapelle and happiness, even in brief doses, releases serotonin, a hormone that contributes to the feeling of well-being. Smiling also has health benefits; a study from the University of Kansas found that cracking a smile even when you don’t feel like it reduces the intensity of the body’s stress response, regardless of whether a person actually feels happy.
Many Blessings, BW