Enhancing Daily Life By Practicing Optimism

Enhancing Daily Life By Practicing Optimism

Dr. Lisa G. Aspinwall, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland pointed out that research suggests that an optimistic nature helps individuals cope with stress better. "If we think positively, the daily setbacks that we all experience don’t seem to hurt as easily. There’s good evidence that optimists appraise the threat of a negative event as less severe. At the same time, they have a more favorable view of their own abilities to deal with life’s challenges and to handle stressful situations." Dr. Aspinwall affirmed.

Dr. Aspinwall conducted a study with 672 college freshman who had completed a personality assessment during the second week of their first semester. Three months later, the freshman responded to a question set intended to measure their adaption to college life in terms of levels of happiness, and whether they felt able to cope with pressure. Dr. Aspinwall reported that "only one personality predisposition- optimism- had a direct, positive effect on adjustment to college."

We are all familiar with the old adage "Optimists are not born, they’re made," and author Judy H. Wright believes that some of us are brought up to examine the negative side of things, before taking a look at the positive. She said she wrote her book Building Self-Confidence With Encouraging Words to teach readers practical steps to see life from a brighter perspective.

The following interview with Judy H. Wright reveals how her book helps readers enhance their lives by being more optimistic.

Can you share the premise of your non-fiction book?

People who have confidence and courage stand out from the crowd, they have a look of success about them. They had had adversity and rough times along the road, just like everyone else, but have learned to separate what happens from who they are. They have worked on the skills necessary to reframe their thoughts and change their actions.

Building self confidence is a learned skill just like riding a bike or playing the piano. Anyone from ages 9 to 99 can benefit from the simple steps and guidance offered in this book.

In particular, what led you to write on the topic?

I saw young people struggling with limiting belief systems or negative thought patterns. They lacked the skill of being able to reframe negative events into positive affirmations of what they could do.

Is there a key person or group that has inspired you in the process of writing?

I work with parents and families at conferences, classes and tele classes. I saw that they did not know how to model confidence and a positive attitude for their children. They were held back by negative messages they received in childhood and wanted to break the cycle and become more positive, confident parents and employees in the world of work.

How do you envision your book will impact your readers?

Building Self Confidence with Encouraging Words will help the reader to be:

· More calm and centered in stressful situations

· More courageous to try new things and opportunities

· More outgoing in social situations

· More assertive in setting boundaries

· More skillful at reframing negative thoughts

· More confident about the future

· More valuable in the workplace

· More positive about yourself

· More attractive to new relationships

As you embarked on writing your book, what was the overall message you wanted to convey to your audience?

I wanted to assist those who doubted their confidence or esteem to have a different mindset. I wanted to help them to see that self confidence in a skill and like any skill is best learned by practice and reinforcement.

What process did you go through to research your book?

Not only do we own businesses that employee others, I give workshops and keynote speeches to child care resource centers and Head Start staff. I have had the opportunity to share insights with those who are willing to be mentored and want to develop more confidence and purpose. It has been very fulfilling to receive reports back from those who have done the interactive worksheets and completed the assignments in the book. Almost everyone has said how much they benefited from gaining mastery on building their confidence and reframing negative events to find the positive lessons.

Was it easy for people to recognize that the only person holding them back from success was themselves and their belief system? No, it is never easy to do internal work, but it is necessary if we want to develop and grow to our full potential.

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