Geraldine, a fictional character of Flip Wilson, humorously quipped, “You get what you see”. Shakespeare voiced a more literary opinion when he said, “The perception of good or bad does not exist; only thinking makes it to be so”. It is Buddha who said it as it should be, “The life one leads, is a creation of oneself mind”.

Can you think of a better way to describe life that how Buddha, fictional Geraldine and Shakespeare did. Your life is like your own creation; it turns out just like you mould it.

So what does that mean to us?

The glass half empty mindset,

For those who do not view life through objective lenses, they are subjective beings. If you filter what you see in life then you are a biased individual. That is personality and everyone carries his or her own.

Pessimists will see differently to their optimistic colleagues. In the same vein, introverts see things in differently to extroverts. And life seems to reward us in equal measure of what we are or what we belief in. For instance, if you are anxious everything around you can seem fast paced and out of control; if you are inclined towards depression, your life will have a greyness about it.

Whatever perspective you have in life will characterise everything you do in your life. If you see your work as a chore, it will be so as long as you think this way. Your perception will also affect those around you and if they are not independent thinkers, you run the risk of being surrounded by negativity.

The glass half full mindset.

A massive body of research agrees that there is a lot of power in seeing the glass half full. Bright, optimistic people are not only generally happier but also healthier and wealthier according to research. All three – happiness, health and wealth - are what make a complete life.

In a study by a reputable psychologist, Susan Segerstorm, law students who held onto their optimism ten years after graduation took home an annual salary of $32,667 more than their colleagues who had lost their hope.

Keeping a positive mindset will drive you towards actions that will deliver positive results. It does not matter if you hit a bad patch; keeping optimism with you will deliver good results.

In fact, thinking of bad stuff will actually drive you into poor results. Instead of doing things that will minimize your failure, you will instead do nothing or do stupid things that will amplify your failures.

Happy and optimistic people will attract friends who are similar in character and their positivity will be infectious so a virtuous circle of friends, colleagues and contacts will be created. The opposite is true for natural pessimists. 

How to change into a glass half full person

So, how do you stay optimistic in the face of failures and distractions?

Create opportunities out of your problems – instead of seeing a work issue as a chore, see it as a challenge with which you can impress your colleagues.

Going networking? Don’t dread walking into a room full of strangers, see it as an opportunity to meet new people, walk tall, smile and ask questions. And remember, most of the people you are meeting are probably nervous as well as you.

Package yourself as an optimist and life will smile back to you = like poles attract.

Set out to do something out of your comfort zone and find your confidence and self esteem grow as a result.

In summary.

The life of someone with a positive mindset is likely to be more fulfilling than that of someone who is constantly negative about everything. That said, even the most positive people have setbacks and personal issues but they seem to be able to bounce back from adversity whereas the negative person accepts it as par for the course of their life. Try to avoid the negative route – it’s easier than you think!

Mayfair, we care.