Is the glass half empty or half full? Some days we may see it half empty, while others we may see it half full. The goal is that we see it half full the majority of the time.
We are here to enjoy life. Some days that is more challenging than others. Life throws curve balls at us. We still need to keep everything in perspective and know that whatever we are going through will pass.
Our outlook impacts our health, including our heart health. This short video (less than 2 minutes) talks about how optimism and life satisfaction can offer protection against cardiovascular disease. Fascinating!
This Harvard article – Optimism and Your Health – talks about various studies done to see how our outlook may impact our blood pressure, risk for heart disease, and our overall health.
So, back to your outlook…do you happen to be someone that sees the glass half empty more than you do half full? Don’t worry! For some people, it comes naturally to be optimistic and positive. Some people need to work at it. Don’t stress out if you need to work on it.
Several years ago, I read a book called Happy For No Reason by Marci Shimoff. At first I didn’t agree with some of the things that Marci wrote about. I told myself to keep reading and to be open to what was being presented. As I got into the Happiness Habits and the numerous exercises that she presents throughout the book, I started to enjoy it more.
Marci believes there are 21 habits that happy people share. Each of these habits is a chapter in the book. And each chapter provides an exercise that you can do to implement that habit. Additionally, each chapter provides a story about one of the Happy 100 that Marci interviewed.
Some of the stories about the Happy 100 are amazing! I believe they can help you put life into perspective. It reminded me of watching a soap opera when I was younger. For me, a soap opera, or even some of today’s reality tv shows, make me realize my life is not so bad. In actuality, I have a wonderful life that I love very much!
I think it takes work to get to the point where you can honestly say you love your life. Just like having a great relationship with your significant other takes time and energy. The thing that I ended up loving about this book is that it gives you tools to use as you see fit. This is a good resource book to pull off the shelf anytime you need a quick mental adjustment or need to work through a difficult decision as the tools are there for you. The question is will you use them?
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