Choosing Optimism

Since we truly believe that everything comes from God, why do we allow ourselves to be consumed by worrying about how we will obtain our needs? If something is meant to be ours, God will provide it; if not, it was never meant to be, so why worry?

From experience, I can say the number one reason we worry is because we have an incorrect outlook on life called pessimism. Even in situations where optimism is the obvious choice, we often default to a worst-case scenario mindset. But here’s the good news—pessimism is “just” a frame of mind and by (not) simply changing our outlook, we can start viewing life more optimistically and live with less worry.

But how do we make that shift in a world so often dominated by pessimism?

We can start by understanding that throughout life, we are constantly being shown the world through a pessimistic lens. This is because by its very nature, pessimism sells. Imagine Twitter spitting out positive news, politicians telling us how great everything is or SAAS upgrade “specialists”, your insurance agent or your Apple store technician telling you how perfect everything is at present. Their product sales will go down. Once we recognize this, we can make smarter decisions, whether that’s in our purchases or in how we spend our time online. We can distance ourselves from the pessimistic negativity, understanding that while others must offer it, it’s up to us to decide whether we let it in.

Additionally, to see the world optimistically, we need to broaden our perspective. For example, consider that if you have food in your fridge, warm clothes on your body, a roof over your head and a consistent place to sleep, you are in the top 25% of the world’s population in terms of basic necessities. If you can read and understand what I am writing, you are more fortunate than the 3 billion people who cannot read or access the internet (UNESCO) and if you are alive today with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the one million people who will die this week (WHO).Though life is about many downs; it’s about recognizing the ups; the continuous reasons we have to be grateful and happy. Despite our daily challenges, we are often far more blessed than we realize (write your life’s positives and negatives on opposite sides of a piece of paper for proof).

Lastly, in all my life, I’ve never met a miserable optimist, and optimistic energy is transformative, as when we approach life with optimistic positivity, we attract high-quality people and opportunities into our lives, with a snowballing effect. Even if we occasionally tip into the “toxic positivity” space, it’s certainly better than the alternative.

Wishing you a Shabbat filled with nothing but ups.

Shabbat Shalom!