6 Ways to Cultivate Optimism Each Day

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When building a profitable practice, it’s important to see the brighter things in life. You want to be optimistic. You might be surprised to hear that optimism is not an innate quality. Optimism and pessimism are ways of looking at yourself in the world through a positive or negative filter. Once you think of them as reflections of your mindset, it becomes much easier to believe you can change. Like any new behavior, you need to practice every day for it to become a habit.

Try these six suggestions to cultivate your optimism every day:

1. Keep a journal. Journaling or keeping a diary allows you to process events and to get a different perspective on them. It encourages self-reflection and captures insights into your thinking and behavior. You can write down what happened during your day and document not just the bad facts, but how you did it, what you did to make it happen, and what you did right. And importantly, how it felt when you were doing it. Don’t just record the good things–a promotion, a presentation, or meeting that went well. Remember to write down the thing that didn’t go so well and reflect on what happened, how you dealt with it, and what you might do differently next time.

2. Laugh. Consciously notice the funny side of things and write them down. If the technology didn’t work, and you had to give the presentation without a slide deck, or the power went out, or there was a fire drill in the middle of your critical meeting, what could seem like a disaster at the time can also be looked back on as a comedy of errors.

3. Write to your future. Write a letter or a journal entry that sets out the future you want. What job are you doing? Are you running your own business? What have you learned? What has changed? Imagining how your future life looks and feels can be a powerful motivator.

4. Keep a kindness log. Have a page in your journal where you write down kind gestures. Write down when you are kind to someone or when someone is kind to you. Even little things count–like opening the door for someone or letting them go first in line for coffee. You’ll be surprised at how quickly they mount up and your ever-lengthening list will give you a different perspective on things.

5. Say thank you. Write a letter or email, phone, or visit someone–a person outside of your family–who has been genuinely kind to him. Tell them how you appreciate what they did or said and how it has affected your life.

6. Choose positivity. Make the positive choice to develop and maintain an optimistic outlook. Do this every morning when you wake up. Decide that today is going to be a great day. Everyone will have some level of suffering in their life. Choosing to be optimistic will make it easier to bounce back from the bad times and to enjoy and be certain of the good times.

I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/guide to pick up the free guide to help you determine the best business entity for your new practice.

Staying optimistic will have a great impact on your success and overall well-being. Check out our blog here for a few more ways to boost your optimism.

Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com