Cultivating Optimism

The year is 2008, and we move forward toward a new beginning with the onset of spring, longer days and warmer temperatures. We have weathered many emotional and spiritual storms this past year and emerged stronger, with more resolve to take charge of our lives.

Take Charge:
So how do we take charge, release fear and doubt and forge ahead to create what’s really important to us? Are you ready for a mental tune-up? Relax, it’s not a lobotomy, just a way to jangle those old thoughts into inertia and create more positive ones as replacements.

Fear is an insidious culprit that keeps us rooted in mediocrity and the status quo although our cells may be screaming that it’s time to make the necessary changes to improve our situation. So it’s time to remove fear, assign it to the back burner and believe in something stronger, like you.

Cultivate Optimism:
What’s a strong line of defense to tackle the negative conditioning of the mind? Optimism can counteract those uninvited guests, the negative programs that played over and over in your head. By summoning up faith in you and in what you desire you can ward off the pessimism and nagging doubts that threaten to take control.

So how do we cultivate optimism? A new gardener like me is aware of what needs to go into the soil to produce beautiful, healthy, vibrant flowers. The correct mulch, attention and vigilance are necessary to ensure that the flowers get enough sunlight, minerals and water. As simple as it sounds, we need to make sure that what goes into our minds and what we focus our attention on is monitored in much the same way as our home gardens. Not necessarily surprising news and not new but then what stops you from doing it? It’s not life threatening just mind altering and really does affect what your reality looks like.

Be Consistent:
The garden of your mind responds to constancy and repetition. Make a mental note of what you are feeding it consistently. If you flood your mind with fears and doubts, thoughts of lack, anger or a host of negatives that is what your mind garden will produce. Over time, it will simply spew out what’s been put into it. The exciting news is that we can change our mind programs whenever we choose by consciously deciding to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

When in Doubt:
When a doubt slips in, quickly create a positive thought right behind it. Think of it like training a tight muscle. Over time, your mind became more accustomed to elicit positive thoughts because you have stretched it to comfortably receive them.
Train your own mind to be receptive to expect positive outcomes and your personal best. You’ll be amazed that your efforts will yield a fertile garden of optimism again and again.