I am a glass half-full type of person. I strongly believe such an attitude can be developed internally. Such a positive outlook on life is contagious. It is one of those things that compounds over time, so the sooner this is developed the better.

Here are some simple habits and reminders that can help on stay optimistic.

Find Your Anchor

You anchor is something that grounds you. It is what keeps you real, what keeps you motivated and on course. You truly enjoy doing this. When you accomplish your daily anchor, all is good in the world and nothing can bring you down.

Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock”, says his anchor is working out every day. He likes to get up early in the morning – when the things you need to do during the day have not yet started distracting him – and go through his exercise routine.

It doesn’t even have to be some thing physical like exercise, running, swimming, etc. It can be as simple as meditation, journaling, relaxing in the sun, making your bed, whatever. The key is to use this activity as an anchor and truly believe that accomplishing this will mean you will conquer your day.

Protect your anchor.

Be Fearless

Be optimistic about each day, be adventurous, be open to the universe by saying YES. Be fearless – do one thing every day that puts you out of your comfort zone and scares you. Start with small things and work your way up. Develop the courage to ask for things that you would otherwise be shy of. Of course, don’t jump off a bridge.

A couple of awesome short audios you can listen to every morning to help with this:

 

Marcus Aurelius’ morning meditation

Be Prepared

Captain Chris Hadfield, the famous Canadian astronaut, describes the preparations required for every mission and how that has changed his approach to life. He describes this wonderfully in his book.

The idea is to be prepared for the worst but hope for the best. Always have a plan B for every mission.

Know Your Weaknesses

As you will implement some new habits in your daily routine, you will have a feeling of what works and what does not. Be ready to experiment with this. Know your weaknesses and be realistic. Set goals and systems that you can achieve and be able to implement.

The worst thing that can happen is you set a ridiculous goal and never achieve it, get dishearten and lose momentum. Then you need to start from scratch again.

Know what works for you.

Careful with Your Friends

We are the sum average of the 5 people we hang out with. This is a rule. The people you inspire to be will be where you end up. So just be careful who your friends are.

 

A very simple rule to live by is:

“I want to leave the world in a better place than how I found it.”