The September of Optimism
Cultivating your craft, Believing in yourself, Walking on the sunny side
Radical optimism is not just for Dua Lipa. We can all get there with a little practice. It is not always easy, but it is always rewarding. I find that an object in motion stays in motion, so once I have had one optimistic thought, it is easy enough to find another, like wandering a field of flowers that say, “Wouldn’t it be cool if this happened?”, and plucking my favorite ones for a bouquet. If you are used to thinking in worst-case scenarios, then you are already halfway there. You have already trained yourself to believe in the unlikely. What is on the other side of that coin? How can you access the other side of that feeling?
Instead of predicting things will not work, here are a few ways you can tell yourself they will. Because why wouldn’t they? You have God on your side, and the world is waiting with open arms.
Find something lucky every day
The more you notice your good luck, the more of it you are sure to find. Even the most mundane of days has something lucky in them. Take oversleeping, for example. If you wake up in a panic, leave the house or take the later train than you normally would. You can read a book, listen to music, and relax because it is less crowded. How lucky are you for oversleeping! You are more rested and comfortable. You can be lucky to get through the day, have the last pastry in the case, hear from a friend, and have somewhere to lay your head at night.
Celebrate others
One of the quickest ways to plummet your optimism is to compare yourself to the people around you, especially on the internet. It can feel like everyone has something you do not, and if you let that feeling sit too long, it threatens to move in permanently. Instead of feeling jealous, let yourself feel joy. There are enough good things to go around, and if something great can happen to someone else, it is only a matter of time before something great happens to you, too.
Make a bouquet with your “Wouldn’t it be cool if this happened?” flowers
I made a list in an entry a while ago of things I want to happen, noting that if I did not say them out loud, they would not come true. So far, I have achieved a few of them, but now that I’ve spoken them into the world, God is sure to find a way to get them back to me.
Compliment a stranger
There is no better feeling than when a stranger stops their day to tell you something nice. Every time someone says they like my bag or admires an outfit of mine, I am absolutely glowing from the interaction. It is unexpected from a stranger, but I would even extend this to complimenting your friends more often, too. Old friends, in particular, have a lot of history between them, which leads us to assume the other person knows how we feel. Sure, my friends KNOW I love them and think they are special, but what harm would it be to remind them?
Be cringe and free
This is coming from someone with terrible secondhand embarrassment. It takes a lot to want to do something, and it takes even more to actually do it, so posting about it or talking about it with people / asserting that it is important to you should not give you the ick! Putting yourself out there can be vulnerable and scary, but wow, imagine all the good things that could happen on the other side.
Bonus
Find a favorite quote about optimism (one of your favorite books, a line from a song, an image on Pinterest, this very blog?) and write it down on a piece of paper in your own handwriting. Make it cute if you desire, illustrate it, add stickers, use a colorful maker if you wish, but make it simply EXIST! In the real and tangible world. Add it somewhere you will see it every day – I added mine to my calendar.
Being more optimistic does not mean you are going to do everything perfectly, or achieve some kind of 10/10 in life, but it does mean you are open to more. Punishing yourself in the name of perfection only serves to close you off. I would much rather be someone who tries, learns, and tries again. I would rather be good, and I hope you would too.
With love,
Kierstyn
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