Five Ways To Feel Super Optimistic

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5 Ways to Feel Super-Optimistic – By Michael Mercer, Ph.D. **
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Optimism is the hidden key to your personal and business success.
Optimists possess a clear vision of an exciting life, confidently
work on
goals to achieve their vision, and take self-responsibility. In
contrast,
pessimists have no clear vision of a fantastic life, and they love to
complain, blame, and moan. How can you become more optimistic?

I will divulge five little-known "secrets" to help you immediately
feel
upbeat, confident, and optimistic.

Research: Why Optimism Is Good for You

Tons of research prove that optimists do vastly better than
pessimists in
their:
1. Health
2. Wealth
3. Career success

Health.
A growing body of "psychoneuroimmunology" medical research links how
a
person's emotions affect his or her health. Some intriguing findings:
Optimistic people are less likely to get sick than pessimistic or
depressed people. This includes illnesses ranging from common colds
to
cancer. Optimistic people also get well faster than pessimists.

Wealth.
A fascinating study found that self-made millionaires worry much
less than
people who earn as much money but have not achieved millionaire
status.
What is the connection between being optimistic and making yourself
into a
millionaire? Optimists are much more likely than pessimists to make
a goal
of achieving millionaire status. They also keep plugging away at
being
frugal, investing wisely and working hard to turn financial dreams
into
reality. In contrast, pessimists are less likely to set net-worth
goals or
consistently take actions to become millionaires.

Career Success.
Many companies use my firm's Abilities & Behavior Forecaster™
pre-employment tests when choosing applicants. To start, a company
has
high-achievers take the test. Also, underachievers may take the test.
Then, we identify how the high-achievers score, so the company can
prefer
hiring applicants who score like its profitable, productive
employees.
Intriguing finding: One of the Forecaster™ test's 18 scales is
Optimism.
Typically, high-achievers typically score high on the Optimism test
scale,
while underachievers score moderate or low on Optimism. This repeated
finding verifies that optimists achieve greater career success than
pessimists.

So, how can you boost your optimism to achieve greater health,
wealth, and
career success? Here are five immediately useful techniques. Each
takes
only one minute to do, so you can start fast and get results today.

1st Technique: Straight Posture and Big Steps

Optimistic people use straight posture, walk fast, and take big
steps.
Pessimistic people slouch, walk slowly, and use small steps. Imagine
seeing someone walking with his or her head held high, shoulders
back,
walking fairly fast with big steps. That person exudes confidence. In
contrast, a person whose head and shoulders slouch and walks with
slow,
small steps reeks a gloomy mood.

Why is a straight posture crucial? Because before you can straighten
out
your head, you first need to straighten up your body!

2nd Technique: Cheerful Voice

A lightning quick way to feel upbeat is to use a cheerful voice.
Think of
a time when you felt annoyed. Then, your phone rang. You answered
it, and
your caller was someone you wanted to impress. I bet you spoke in a
cheerful voice so you would impress your caller. Result: You
immediately
started feeling your mood lift.

Why is a cheerful voice an incredibly powerful optimism tool?
Psychological research proved that a person emotionally feels the
emotion
he or she is acting at the moment. So, if you act cheerful, you feel
cheerful. And a cheerful voice is the fastest way to act optimistic.

3rd Technique: Use Upbeat Words

You can use types of words: upsetting and upbeat. Pessimists relish
using
upsetting words, while optimists excel at using upbeat words.
Examples:

Upsetting Words, Upbeat Words
Problem, Opportunity
Tired, Recharging
Depressed, Bumming

For example, a pessimist says, "I have a problem." In contrast, an
optimist would say, "I have an opportunity to do better next time!"

4th Technique: Use Upbeat Attitudes

I find the chief way to become an optimist simply is to focus on
solutions
– and not focus on problems. Every time a difficulty pops up,
immediately
create solutions and put them into action. Examples:

Upsetting Attitudes, Upbeat Attitudes
Focus on problems, Focus on solutions
Dwelling on weaknesses, Dwelling on strengths
Thinking about financial woes, Thinking about achieving prosperity

Why is a solution-focus ultra-important? Because you can only have
one
thought in your head at a time. So, if you focus on solutions, you
cannot
wallow in problems, complaining, blaming, or moaning.

5th Technique: Be a Magnificent Role Model

Remember a time you were a role model for someone. As you helped that
person, you also helped yourself. As the proverb goes: "What goes
around,
comes around." If you are a delightfully optimistic role model for
employees, co-workers, family and friends, then you simultaneously
make
yourself optimistic.

How do you do this? Make sure people see you using straight posture,
taking big steps, speaking in a cheerful voice, using upbeat words
and
focusing on solutions.

Anyone can become an optimist. When people use these five
techniques, they
invariably tell me they feel heavy burdens lift off their shoulders.
They
feel positive, upbeat, and confident. You only need a few minutes to
put
these tips into action. They can be your key to enhanced health,
wealth,
and career success.

© Copyright 2004 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.

About the Author
Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is a consultant, speaker, and founder of The
Mercer
Group, Inc. in Barrington, Illinois. He delivers speeches and
seminars at
conferences and companies. Dr. Mercer's Forecaster™ pre-employment
tests
are used by companies across North America. He co-
authored "Spontaneous
Optimism®: Proven Strategies for Health, Prosperity & Happiness" and
also
"Hire the Best -- & Avoid the Rest™". You can get a FREE
subscription to
his e-Newsletter at http://www.DrMercer.com or call him at (847) 382-
0690.

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