Optimist or Pessimist?

There is a song by Paramore called: For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic.  I really like the title and it has brought a few laughs to some in our family who have been accused of having a negativity bias.   

Lately I have been complaining, whining, being a little negative and definitely overthinking life.  I have made pro and con lists, to do lists, not-to-do lists and have been giving too much credit to the thoughts bouncing around in my head. It is difficult to be taken seriously when the thoughts are really just pouting and venting. 

If you think too much, you can create problems that were not there to begin with. You can have those skeptical thoughts become gloomy then angst sets in and before you know it you are in despair and your daughter could be saying, "For an optimist, you are pretty pessimistic."  

(Not that this is necessarily a true story, and if it was I would change the names to protect the innocent.)  

Sometimes we have a tendency to be caught in a mental loop of overthinking.  It can ruin the situation, twist things around, make you worry and it can make everything much worse than it actually is.  

Rumination-break the habit!

Being a happiness teacher does not guarantee that life is always perfect or even fun. Cheerfulness, hope and confidence are not given with that title.  

Those positive traits are earned and learned.  

They take practice and practice and even more practice.

There is no perfect.

Two facts from The Happiness Journey by Bob and Virginia Pothier:

• Our brains are not built to make us happy.
• Our brains are built to latch onto negativity and to treat it as overly important.

When rumination and over thinking take over, it can be linked to bouts of increased sadness, difficulty solving problems and decreased motivation, concentration and drive.  It is an unhealthy and dangerous mental habit.  It can be a slippery slope to navigate. 

I believe that what you think about becomes your life.   

So if you are on this path, snap out of it.

Use tools of positivity to keep going on your happiness journey.

Remember that happiness is not the absence of unhappiness.

It doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full because...

1. The glass has air in it so I believe it is always full!
2. Be glad you have a glass!

What I know for sure is that there are days I feel overwhelmed and a little over the top heading towards pessimism but most days are filled with positive thoughts and making progress towards being an optimist.  

What's in your glass?