Thoughts on how to be more optimistic 😃

It comes as no surprise to anyone that the world we live in is a stressing, unfair and cruel place. We have been struggling with a pandemic, with the unjustified murder of George Floyd by a police officer, with performative activism, with explosions in Beirut, with a dictator in Belarus and all that just in the first half of 2020. And on top of all these world ordeals, everyone faces his own personal problems. But this is where things got tricky for me. 

As I have shared before, I have been struggling with body image and negative self-talk. However, thanks to an intervention from a friend and a lot of self-investigation, now I can happily say that I am at a much better place. Although I am proud of myself for finally starting loving and accepting myself, there was a time somewhere around May when I convinced myself that I should be sad. Besides the outrageous state of the whole world during that time, it was the hardships that some important people in my life were dealing with that triggered me to think in such a way. A couple of my friends were confronted with serious health and mental issues, and all I could do was talk it out or try to cheer them up. I felt like a bad friend as not only could I not alleviate their pain but I also thought that I'm a hypocrite since I was gratified by my life so far and I couldn't truly understand their apprehension.

Hopefully, this mindset didn't last for long. Why? Because my life was moving towards the direction I always desired. No matter how despondent I wanted to feel, I was genuinely excited for my future. 

Let me link this storytime with today's subject more clearly. I noticed that I started feeling excited about life and doing more positive thoughts unconsciously when I focused on my goals and I set off to fulfil them. I know that it might sound cheesy, but if you want to be happy, first you need to find out who you are and what you desire. For me, it was continuing my education by doing a masters abroad. What it really matters is identifying the path in life that will both bring you happiness and benefit you, and then just follow it. Of course, there will be obstacles and moments when you'll be on the verge of giving up. In the end, however, you'll be grateful to these difficulties as they will have made you stronger and the eventual fulfilment of your dream sweeter. 

This talk with yourself will bring an added benefit to the deferred, future-related gratification; you'll start listening to and truly connecting with your own self. The more you stick to your plan, the more confidence you gain. You'll realise that you can be much more determined, persistent and capable than you thought you were just by staying faithful to your dream despite the hardships. Seeing your potential will make you appreciate you. And then, you'll want to work on yourself in order to become the person you aspire to be. Personally, I feel like I'm not as knowledgeable as I would like to be, and this is why I try to be up to date with the news and learn new things every day. 

Honestly, I wish I could provide you with a tangible way to optimism, but there is no such thing. I believe that only by feeling satisfied by the direction your life is taking will you be able to appreciate the good things in your life, and then in the world. Besides of seeing the glass half full, you might even be inspired to attempt to rectify the wrongs in this world.