LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Describe Ways to Become More Optimistic as a Christian Counsellor
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
20/2022
Here are 10 ways to be more optimistic;
1. Change Your Inner Mantra
The first way to be more optimistic is to change your inner mantra. Your inner self-talk
reflects on your actions and thinking, so if you want to change your mindset, the first thing you
need to work on is your inner mantra. If you’re constantly thinking, “I am not enough” “I can’t
do this” or “I am not good enough”, then you won’t move forward in life. Try to change your
inner self-talk and change these viewpoints to something more positive such as, “I am capable
enough to achieve this” “I can do this” or “I am good enough”.
2. Focus on Success
Next, you need to work on changing your habits and start focusing on your successes,
instead of your failures. Keep in mind that without failures, there isn’t success, but you need to
be ready for failures and keep working on your goals until you finally succeed.
While you’re working on your goals, forget everything but your progress. Follow your
progress and goals until you achieve them all. Focusing on success is one of the most important
yet easiest ways to become optimistic.
3. Start With Small Steps
From the moment you wake up, focus on one or two things around you. Start small and
this means taking in the fresh and crisp air of the morning, the fresh cup of coffee, or even your
bed. You need to practice being grateful for all these little things if you want to be optimistic.
These small steps will eventually help you become more optimistic toward other things in
life. All you need to do is start with small things and gradually make your way to the other big
things in life such as your goals and dreams.
4. Look for the Silver Lining
In every tough situation, there’s a silver lining. Similarly, there’s always a positive thought
in every negative situation. All you need to do is look for it. To truly become optimistic, you
need to learn to understand that negativity isn’t the only thing in a stressful situation.
Looking at the bright side of things will become easy when you know what to look for and
how to look for it. Practice this exercise in your day-to-day situations until you figure it out!
5. Don’t let go of Your Self-Confidence
Never underestimate yourself! Self-confidence is something of an important quality to
have when you want to be more optimistic in daily life. It’s also a trait that is not gifted but
comes with a lot of time, effort, and patience.
You need to keep a tight hold on your self-confidence and believe that you’re capable of
doing anything. You should be thinking like an optimist, after all. Make “I can do this!” your
daily mantra.
6. Be Mindful of Your Media Consumption
While social media can be a great tool to connect with people far and wide, it can also be a
space where constant comparisons are made. Whether we do so intentionally or
unintentionally, comparisons are usually made regardless. Spending too much time on social
media, especially mindlessly, can be doom-scrolling and can negatively impact your thought
process.
Before you end up doing that and make yourself stuck in a negative space, check your
media consumption. Keep up to date with the current events but if you find yourself doom-
scrolling or getting caught in the comparison cycle, put a time limit to protect your mindset.
7. Don’t Leave Behind Gratitude
Whenever something negative happens in our lives, the first thought that comes to mind is
nothing good. This could hinder your progress to become more optimistic. So, to change this,
you need to practice gratitude and reflect on things that you wouldn’t normally do as you go.
Rewire your mind and habits to become happy about the little things and if you need
additional help, you can always work with a gratitude journal. This is, so far, my favorite way to
be more optimistic in life.
8. Go Easy on Yourself
Now, you need to understand that failures happen, but that does not mean that you get to
put unwanted pressure on yourself. Things happen for a reason and pushing yourself beyond
your limits will not help you any, instead, learn to go easy on yourself.
Don’t rush to find your big life lesson when you’re distressed. Learn to forgive yourself and
take time to just reflect on yourself. Becoming optimistic is about taking small steps now so that
they can point to a better tomorrow.
9. Minimize the Negative
When something negative happens, think about the things that could have contributed to
this event. For example, if you failed an exam, then think about what you were doing the week
before the exam. Were you busy with other commitments? Or were you sleep-deprived when
you went for the test?
You need to look at the full picture and give yourself some leeway. You can also look at
these events as a lesson to change your behavior in the future to prevent the same mistakes.
10. Keep Working on Optimism
Becoming optimistic does not happen overnight. You need to keep up with your exercises
and activities to change your mindset. Here’s a trick I’ve learned; Fake it till you make it work!
Keep faking optimism until you gradually develop a positive mindset, for real. Yes, it’s tricking
your brain but, believe me, it works.
Another thing to become an optimist, you need to stop dwelling on your past mistakes and
look toward a brighter future. Whatever happened, acknowledge it, but keep yourself as much
as you can in your present.
