Optimism

                      
                             

Optimism, according to a dictionary definition, is

hopefulness and confidence about the future success of .......

which, to me, indicates that it is about something. When we are optimistic, we are looking forward, and we are feeling good about it, and have beneficial feelings about (whatever it is) working out, happening.

Looking to the Past

Whereas, we can look back to the past to remember something to recall feelings of hope and confidence. Which, is what I did for a long time. I used good memories, I felt into them to remember what the feeling of accomplishment was like, to recreate hope and confidence within myself for personal issues.

But, as helpful as this has been, it is not the full story. Yes, I would recall how I had done a particular difficult thing, with no personal confidence. But I did always have confidence in whatever I was doing, and rather than hopefulness, I also had certainty with what I was doing. But the confidence in myself was lacking, even though I hid that from others.

Why do we do that? We are good at something, we know how to do it, but those personal niggles are there. I never ever did let it stop me, professionally, though. But for personal issues, it has always been harder.

There is an easier way

In hindsight, it would have just been easier, and less stressful, to just do the same things in the same way, if I was needing to do those things again. Like lose weight, for example. And if it worked previously, then it will work again. Do the steps each day and have the optimism that it will (again) work out.

It's easier to be optimistic when you know that something works

I wrote the You Are Unique course at a very difficult and impoverished time in my life. Very new baby, no money, living with difficult people. I just kept to myself, and wrote then presented the course. I prepared it in the wee hours of the morning, I wrote it then friends desk-topped it, so that I could hand out practical notes each week. I took very tiny baby with me whilst I presented the course! (that was a real juggling act!) I also was wearing clothes from op shops. I had no problems taking baby, nor wearing second hand clothes, nor in writing and presenting the course.

It was based on what I had done about seven years prior, to make positive changes, for me, in my life. I knew that the course would work. It had, after all, worked for me. And because of that, I was optimistic about how it would impact others' lives in a very lovely way. Plus I had taken a lot of yoga courses and classes, given talks on seminars, so I was used to being in front of others. But, I am actually quite shy, so whenever I am 'up in front' of others, that is where the personal confidence is a bit low.

Ironically, none of my friends came to the course. I'm quite sure that they thought that I was just writing about, and presenting, yoga. Which is not what it was all about. Yoga is not the only thing that I know.

The course was incredibly successful. It made so much difference to all of the people who took part in it. Their self esteem soared, and they had easy routines to do, to look and feel good. Plus simple yoga routines to enhance their life. When we had a reunion with the first group to do the course, three months after it finished, I could barely recognise anyone. They all looked so happy, younger, more attractive, and more confident.

My lament......

Oh, Youtube and Amazon, where were you Back In The Day? The content of that course would have settled my money worries of that time.

Others can help us be optimistic

Now, that baby is twenty-nine. She has always been so encouraging of whatever I did, knowing that I was capable in my fields. Fancy that, one of your children recognises that you are quite timid, really, and just keeps encouraging you. I am so grateful for that support. Having support in your life is so essential.

Ch-ch-changes  (remembering Bowie here)

So, I suppose that the moral of this story, is that I am changing my Game Plan. Instead of looking back to recreate confidence and so on, I am merely going to place that hopefulness and certainty towards the future. Doing whatever is needed on a daily basis for that future.

Because it just doesn't make sense to me to just have that optimism that something will work out, yet not do anything to enable it to work out. No, I still do think that hand in hand with optimism, we do actually need to do whatever is needed. Maybe that's the secret behind optimism. We are doing 'whatever it takes.'

I like it.