By Steven Aitchison Of  http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/

 A few days ago, I filled out a VIA Survey of Character Strengths by Martin Seligman (Positive Psychology) and the results showed I was moderately optimistic. This gave rise to the topic ‘50 Ways To Build Your Optimism’.

Optimism is simply anticipating the best possible outcome in any event.

In no particular order here are ‘50 Ways To Build Your Optimism’.

1. Be realistic about your expectations.
2. Accept the past, manage the present and work hard towards the future.
3. Seek for a ray of light/hope in a negative situation. It’s a bit difficult considering all you are going through, but there’s always an opportunity lurking somewhere in the dark.
4. Utilize what you have for now and aspire to grow in every area of your life, remembering you can only swallow food in bits and pieces before taking another big bite.
5. Be authentic, be yourself and stop hiding behind the MASK of pretence.
6. Get infected by being in a network or company of constructive people, because optimism is positively contagious.
7. Have a dream, believe in it and do everything possible under the sun to run with it.
8. Accept you are human with imperfections.
9. Express love towards other people.
10. Be selective of what you read, hear or watch from the media. Excessive media influence could dampen your spirits.
11. Develop the habit of using positive affirmations constructively.
12. Listen to music. It has the ability to make your mind wander a bit. Come on!!! dance to the groove; sing even if it won’t get you auditioned for XFACTOR.
13. Exercise regularly. Taking care of your body mind and soul builds courage and resilience to face the pressures of the world.
14. Avoid living in self denial.
15. Try as much as you can to stay calm when overwhelmed with the issues of life.
16. Be thankful for everything you have, who you are, the people around you…..
17. Develop a sense of humour. Cultivate the habit of laughing or cracking jokes.
18. Spoil yourself and make sure you enjoy doing so. Go on vacations, get a massage, eat out……..
19. Improve yourself at the slightest opportunity you have. Your capacity to succeed in life will depend on your personal drive to take each opportunity as stepping stones to fulfilling your life long dream.
20. Be gracious enough to accept things you cannot change.  There will always be things you cannot change no matter how hard you work at it.
21. Reflect and focus on the good things that have occurred in your life.
22. Create a positive attitude.
23. Don’t harbour any form of resentment particularly with issues from the past.
24. Know when to call it quits. Some things aren’t just worth the effort and time you put into it.
25. Occupy yourself with things that bring out the best in you i.e. family, children,friends, travelling, reading etc
26. Focus on creating solutions and not drowning in problems.
27. Be a positive role model to your children, friends, family etc. Be a source of inspiration to people who look up to you.
28. Be good at your job demonstrating your useful skills.
29. Have a hobby to keep you occupied. It could be a form of sport, reading, writing etc.
30. Improve your physical appearance when necessary.
31. Get some rest because it is required to put things in perspective.
32. Learn something new in order increase your knowledge.
33. Be passionate. Embrace life and everything it stands for with love and passion.
34. Show persistence in all your endeavours because it’s one of the keys to happiness.
35. Worry less because it reduces the level of your anxiety..
36. Celebrate the successes of other.
37. Be determined and motivated to excel in all you’ve set out to do.
38. Learn to try out new things.
39. Maximize your success and give attention to your failures remembering that failures are learning experiences that yield positive results if handled properly.
40. Set a goal so that you will have something to look forward to when the going gets rough.
41. Practice the habit of forgiveness.
42. Avoid clutter. Be organized not only with your things but also with your thoughts and your plans.
43. Create a positive environment in your home or office.
44. Read several motivational stories, blogs,quotes….
45. Think positively about who you are.
46. Develop a strong ambition.
47. Visualize happy thoughts. Imagine a picture in your mind what you want to achieve and how you can achieve them. Oftentimes, what you create in your thoughts give birth to what happens in reality.
48. Walk tall, with your head high up exhibiting confidence.
49. Smile as often as you can. It has a way of showing your sincerity.
50. Have a blend of optimism in the way you pick, choose and say your words.

                           http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2009/10/16/50-ways-to-build-your-optimism/

By Mike Howard on Sep 17, 2010


All the traps and pitfalls in life, self esteem is the deadliest and hardest to overcome. For it is a pit designed and dug by our own hands, summed up in the phrase: It is no use, I cannot do it ~ Maxwell Maltz

According to some psychologists, self-esteem is the center of it all - THE most prominent factor when it comes to success in any health pursuit.

In any case, a struggle with self-esteem may be the sticking point you need to get past in order to succeed in your health goals. So, here are 10 ways to flex your self-esteem muscles.

1. Stop comparing yourself to others: This can be detrimental to your self-image and only serves to de-value who you are as an individual - a unique and wonderful individual.
2. Always accept and appreciate compliments: Try not to downplay or reject compliments from others. The ability to receive is a hallmark of self-efficacy.
3. Accept VALID criticism from those you trust: This may sound counterintuitive, as criticism can be the source of self-esteem issues, however feedback from those who are close to you should be accepted and appreciated just as compliments should.
4. Make a list of a) Your good qualities (kind, thoughtful, organized, etc.) b) Your hobbies (knitting, scrapbooking, decorating, etc). c) Things you are good at (car maintenance, scrabble, Sudoku, etc). This exercise will help re-enforce your qualities and aptitudes, which will in turn infuse some confidence.
5. Avoid making your problems the centerpiece of your conversation:Talk positively about your life and what you are working towards. Try and be aware of negative self-talk, take notice of how often you complain.
6. Set achievable goals: Write them down and take small steps towards achieving them. Celebrate and reward your successes along the way (not with food, though).
7. Use positive affirmations and tools: Ingraining positive thoughts often means repeating them often. Write them down and put them somewhere where you'll see them. Say things such as; "I am loved", "I am positive, motivated and liked", "Today is a great day to be alive", etc.
8. Help others: Volunteering your time to help others in some way just plain feels good. Use these feelings as a motivator for your other actions in life.
9. Surround yourself with positive and uplifting people: Misery loves company and negativity begets negativity. Find circles of friends who love to laugh, keep things positive and are generally pleasant to be around. Peer groups are important for adults just as they are for children and teens.
10. Take responsibility: While negative self-esteem can be very limiting at times, taking a "woe is me" approach will only serve to keep you in the spiral of negativity and inaction. You and only you can choose to take action to better yourself, so commit to it, and take the necessary steps to reach your goals.

Do you have any tips for building self-esteem? How do you stay confident? If you feel you lack self-esteem, what do you think is holding you back?

Important note: Negative self-esteem may be a symptom of depression or other psychological disorders. Seek appropriate help if needed.

Image Credit: schadenfreude

                                                http://www.diet-blog.com10/building_self-esteem_to_conquer_your_goals.php

Ok I felt it was only important and appropriate today to talk about emotions and the attitude we must have to improve our physical and mental health, so we can reach the goals we have set forth.

Let me start by making it clear that I am in no way a doctor, counselor or psychologist.  I’m just your everyday person who is seeking to improve my fitness, overall health-which today includes my mental health.

I feel that life happens and the stress of life overwhelms most of us, and when this occurs we shut down and our goals and aspirations come second to the ciaos in our lives.  Life is a challenge in so many ways.  Our everyday stresses become unbearable and frankly depressing.  We all have our own special circumstances and insecurities, but the ones that are most important that we address are the past emotions that prevent us from living in a healthy present day.

DO NOT SUCK IT UP!  GOOD HEALTH REQUIRES HEALING.

Negative present day emotions affect everything we do, think and feel.  These are the emotions that matter most; because negative self-esteem and the poor emotions that come with it are the real reason that we are seeking for a solution to better our health and lose the fat we have gained from the stresses in our lives.

Stress is the cause for our weight gain; stress is the cause for an increase in illness, disease and cancer.  When our bodies are burdened with negative emotions and stress; our bodies go into survival mode.  If your starving your body of food you wouldn’t be capable of running a marathon, would you?  When we starve our bodies and minds of the needed nutrients of positive guilt free thoughts, and then were not capable of even completing the simplest of tasks, like eating.

Negative emotions have to be dealt with not ignored.  If you ignore your emotions and bury them, they will haunt you in the future and this is in no way healthy.  Dealing with emotions isn’t an easy task.  Emotions are tricky and frankly unforgiving if you don’t deal with them.  I suggest professional help.  Yes, your spouse, friend or co-worker can be a great sound board, but only a trained professional can help you with the issues and pain that you have neglected for so long.

I’m seeking a better life from the aching of physical and mental pains that have got me where I am today.  FAT! 

Fitness is a commitment and a long journey.  No fad diet or miracle cure will get you to the foundation of youth; only your hard work and positive efforts will accomplish such a goal.  It’s your mind that determines how old you are, it’s your mind that creates the drive and determination to be successful.  It’s our minds that give us life, so why are we neglecting our minds, our thoughts and our emotions.

As you have figured out by now, I believe in alternative lifelong healing that has a proven track record of gaining results.  I don’t have all the answers, cause I’m still learning and in the beginning stages of my journey. 

I’m documenting this as my diary of my struggles and accomplishments, so I can better the way I view myself as I am in present day, not how my negative mind chooses to remember me.

I have struggled tremendously the past 4 years with self-esteem, the feeling of failure and not being worthy enough for better things.  This has created low self-esteem and my negative thoughts created a poor body image.  I didn’t respect myself enough to keep my body in the shape and in turn I created an unhealthy overweight body.  This is the image I created with my thoughts. 

My emotions are my thoughts; my self-esteem is a creation of my thoughts.  How I view a situation is critical to my overall health.  Positive thoughts create a determined beast that will reach and exceed my goals and expectations. Negative thoughts and negative past emotions will do just that, create negative results and keep me in the past.  Fat and unhealthy!

We must believe to receive, listen more then we talk and open our minds to professionals that are trained in human anatomy and the mind. 

My attitude about every situation is what will define my results.  I will not ignore my emotions; I will address my negative emotions so I’m able to heal from them.  I will seek for emotional consistency, which is the foundation to my physical bodies overall health.

Today has been a not so good day for quality food intake.  I said in my previous blog that since today was a rest day I was going to lower my caloric intake to balance my lack of activity.  Well my so called “rest” day just turned into a cheat day.  I’ve been honest from the beginning that I need to find a balance in my challenge with food.  Yes I like to eat and eating is more a social and emotional temptress that I have yet to conquer. 

The point of my blog today wasn’t to justify my excessive intake of calories or lack of physical activity today; actually the dinner was fantastic and the company was even more enjoyable.  I can’t remember the last time I went out to a nice dinner with just Shannon and my youngest two Zane and Ainsley.  The dinner was rewarding and filled with lots of loving smiles.

The evening after the kids went to bed was enlightened by our good friend Jessica and her friend Raschel.  I must say it’s nice to have adult time once the kids go to bed, time that allows us as parents to absorb the needed adult social time that allows us as parents to recharge.  Also, it’s even better when your company is filled with laughter, open minds, good hearts and the lack of judgment.  Jessica and Raschel are people that come from a good place, people that love others as much as they love life.  This is rare to find in a world of “Emotional Imbalance”.

My eyes were opened tonight that our attitudes about life is what makes us.  Our attitude is what creates us.  Our attitudes if in balance are limitless. We create our lives as we see our lives.  Attitude is one of the most important pieces to success.  If were depressed from a recent loss, our attitude about our loss will either make us stronger or destroy us.  It’s our choice on what kind of attitude we will choose to have; good or bad.

I have met some amazing people lately that have nearly lost everything, but the one thing they kept was a good attitude.  This positive attitude is what will create them new beginnings and a future filled with adoring love of self-respect and possibly the needed passion in their lives they so desperately seek and deserve.

Our attitude about fitness is no different than the attitude we must have about our families, our jobs, and most importantly our future.  Positive thinking is the foundation to a brighter future filled with happiness; and happiness is the most desirable trait we all seek.

I’ve come to understand that we must start living our lives with the attitude that our dreams are attainable and that with taking care of our minds first; we will reach the goals we seek.

The gym is a challenge and life is a struggle.  But how do we prevent the Emotional Imbalance that drags the strongest down?  A Good Attitude!  Your hearts broken, your mind is in a downward spiral and when life just isn’t being fair we need to breath deep, smile, and clear our minds of negative thoughts;  This way we can be clear to see that were worthy of tomorrow and ready for change.  Optimistic changes start in your thoughts and positive thoughts create happy results.

So for myself I will seek to challenge myself everyday on this journey to good health.  I will challenge myself mentally and physically to break the nasty cycle of having a bad attitude.  My vision is to the work needed to find the cause of my faulty thinking and replace it with positive thoughts that will rear me generous rewards.