Optimistic people are described as having a bright perspective on almost everything.
Optimism drives people to perceive a glass as half full, rather than half empty.
These people aren’t usually bothered by negativity, and they are passionate about moving forward to see what life has in store for them.
The habits of highly optimistic people involve being generally positive and goal-driven.
Optimism seems to be one of the best qualities of individuals who have gained an appreciation for life.
Below are the 10 things that optimistic people never do:
1) Dwell In The Past
“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” – Thomas S. Monson
Optimistic individuals are forward-looking individuals who focus on what’s in the present and what’s waiting for them in the future.
They don’t think long and hard over spilt milk, they simply clean up their mess and move on to the next opportunity.
For them, living in the past is a waste of life because it’s simply out of their control.
They don’t think that their past mistakes define them.
Although they do revisit and remember their past mistakes, this is usually for the purpose of getting it right when the opportunity comes — they don’t believe that history is bound to repeat itself.
For optimistic people, they see every day as an opportunity to write a better story for themselves.
2) Work Without Passion
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey
People always put a price tag on work. Most people aim for their first million while looking for ways to earn easy extra money.
Optimistic people may have the same goals, but they don’t work without passion. The line between work and play is almost blurry for optimistic people.
After all:
Optimistic people generally have a positive outlook on life and this is why they tend to focus on the good things rather than dwelling on negative events.
As a result, they spend time pursuing activities that bring them joy and fulfillment.
For example, an optimistic person who is passionate about writing may believe in their ability to become a successful author, even if they have never written a book before.
This belief in themselves gives them the confidence to start writing and to continue working on their craft, even if they face setbacks along the way.
3) Underutilize Their Strengths
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
Optimistic people do what they love but they always make sure to live to their fullest potential.
This can be difficult, which can sometimes make them vulnerable to burnout but their optimistic nature always pulls them out of their bubble and keeps them going again.
Optimistic people believe in their strengths and abilities.
When a person is confident in their strengths, they’re more likely to consistently use them to their full potential and to pursue activities that allow them to use their strengths.
Optimistic people always see the best out of a situation, and that too is true when it comes to looking at their own capabilities.
4) Focus On Bad Days
“The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking.” – Robert H. Schuller
A bad day is just a bad day for optimistic people — it doesn’t have to define their entire life.
They always look forward to better tomorrow and seek new opportunities.
They generally don’t consider anything awful or horrible, these are just certain aspects of life they have to get through.
I think that this capability stems from their developed mechanisms to constantly convert every bad situation into learning opportunities instead of seeing something as exclusively negative.
Optimistic people have this tendency to be negativity-averse.
It may also be almost impossible to ruin an optimistic person’s day. They tend to always be thankful even for the smallest of things.
They have built this kind of appreciation for life, which includes both its good and bad aspects.
5) Waste Time In Unproductive Relationships
“The most beautiful thing in this world is to see your loved ones smiling.”
One of the unconscious habits of optimistic people is that they tend to attract and surround themselves with positive people who have the same perspective in life.
They dislike wasting their time on people who seem to only know how to complain and focus on the dreadful things in life.
Consequently, they also have no interest in relationships that lack growth.
Optimistic people avoid people who pull them down. To them, a relationship with anchors is a complete waste of time.
An optimistic person’s positive outlook helps them see the potential for growth and change, even in difficult situations, and to move on from a bad relationship with hope for the future.
6) Put Down Others
“Treat people with kindness, even when they don’t deserve it.”
Because optimistic people see the good in life, they’re not really the type of people who are interested in gossiping.
Gossiping is usually done by people who are trying to feel better about themselves, and optimistic people have no interest in that.
Mistakes could never define a person’s life or personality.
Mistakes are simply learning points and everybody has a right to become a better version of themselves.
This is what optimistic people tend to believe in.
The negativity caused by putting down other people is simply unnecessary and unproductive for optimistic people to tolerate.
7) Live Sedentary Lifestyles
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn
Regular exercise and a healthy diet is an inherent part of the routine of optimistic people.
They appreciate life and they see all the things that it may have in store for them.
This kind of positivity helps them keep their cycle of optimistic habits.
Optimistic people don’t just sit around their couch watching TV or being unproductive.
They’re usually morning people who’re consistently excited to live another day in their lives.
It may vary depending on an individual’s personality type, but as much as possible, optimistic people strive to avoid living sedentary lifestyles.
Going for a run in the early hours of the morning is something that sets my mood for the entire day.
There’s just something about the fresh morning air that helps me keep a positive outlook on life.
Most people would clock in at work looking tired, and they would wonder where I get my energy from. Keep moving to absorb and spread the positive energy within your body.
8) Believe In Failure
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
Optimistic people perceive failure as a challenge, a temporary rite of passage that every human being must undergo.
There are simply things that are beyond your control and obstacles are simply something to spice up your life and add color to it.
One reason why failure may not affect optimistic people is because of their kindness and compassion to themselves.
This is one way that optimistic people keep their feet on the ground.
They go through the same cycle in life as everyone does, but the difference is that they perceive it differently.
They see life and its bad aspects in a different light.
They also have this understanding that there are simply things that other people can do much better than them.
9) Not be Able to Laugh At Themselves
“The person who can bring the spirit of laughter into a room is indeed blessed.” – Bennett Cerf
We all make mistakes.
There’s bound to have been a time when you were halfway towards your destination when you remembered that something was left at home.
In those moments, we could feel a number of emotions — anger, frustration, and disappointment.
But what if instead of punishing ourselves for it, we laugh it off?
That’s what optimistic people do. They don’t take themselves and their life too seriously.
There’s always a space to laugh at our mistakes, take it in our stride, learn, and move on.
There’s no need to get frustrated at things that have already happened.
We’re naturally drawn to people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
It shows a humble heart and a positive spirit, which can both be contagious.
10) Stop Trying
“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
Fear is something that optimistic people don’t find daunting.
It’s a challenge for them to prove themselves wrong and move past what scares them.
They convert it into motivating mechanisms to help overcome self-doubt and cold feet in trying new things.
If it’s beyond your control, then it’s simply not meant for you.
There are plenty of other opportunities in life that you must not be blind to.
So never stop trying to work for your goals and look forward to new things.
I think that the real thing that scares optimistic people is when they had this opportunity but they didn’t even attempt to take a shot at it.
When you don’t even try out for something, I think that’s the real failure because you’ll never know what could have been and what might have been if only you tried.
However, optimistic people also know their limits — if they fail at something way too many times, they put the brakes on it and evaluate.
They know when to stop and where to stop so they can move on to the next big thing that life may have in store for them.
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