Nine Ways to Boost Your Optimism

These are turbulent, uncertain, scary times. Which makes a sense of optimism even more important than usual. How can you stay optimistic in the face of so much negativity and uncertainty? Here are nine things you can do.

1. Reminisce
Write down times when you faced a challenge whether it be in sales, another area of business, or your personal life. Remember how you overcame it.

2. Make a strength inventory
List out your personal strengths. Then list out everything else you have on your side. Remind yourself of all your assets.

3. Do a daily review
Write down three good things that happened each day. What made you smile? Or laugh? Or feel grateful?

4. Read biographies of successful people
Every person who has ever achieved success experienced challenges along the way. Let their triumphs inspire yours.

5. Surround yourself with positive quotes
There are literally thousands of inspirational quotations. You can find them all over the internet, including here, here, and here. Post a few of your favorites where you’ll see them regularly.

6. Try the “Best Possible Self” exercise
A meta-analysis of 34 studies found that the “Best Possible Self” exercise can create small but measurable increases in positivity and optimism. Here’s how to do it:

1. Pick a time in the future, e.g. 6 months, 2 years, 10 years.

2. Visualize your best self, living your best life. What are you doing? Where are you living? Who are you with? How are you spending your time? What goals have you achieved? What is bringing you joy?

3. Write it down, in as much detail as possible. What does it look like? How does it feel?

7. Regulate your news intake
When the news is bad, overconsuming it can be draining. Don’t completely ignore the news, but ration your intake. Scan the headlines so you know what’s going on, but don’t dwell on it and get sucked into the negativity.

8. Spend time with positive people
Speaking of sucking you into a state of negativity, that’s exactly what toxic people do. They are inherently miserable, and their goal is to make others miserable too. So avoid them as much as possible. Instead, increase the amount of time you spend with people who are positive, optimistic, and encouraging.

9. Consume inspirational content regularly
People often refer to me as a motivational speaker, although that’s not quite accurate. I’m really more of a sales speaker. However, I do know a lot of motivational speakers. People like:

• Dr. Bertice Berry
• Walter Bond 
• Brené Brown
• Roger Crawford 
• John Crudele
• Pegine Echevarria
• Scott Friedman
• Randy Gage
• Elisa Hays
• Willie Jolley
• Brad Montgomery
• Stacy Pederson
• Billy Selekane 
• Marilyn Sherman
• Jim Smith, Jr.
• Dawnna St. Louis
• Dan Thurmon
• Iyanla Vanzant 

And that’s just a sampling! And they’re all producing uplifting, energizing, inspirational content via tweets, blogs, books, videos, and podcasts. Check them out.

Optimism is a key ingredient in achieving success—in sales or in any other endeavor. So it’s critical that you remain positive despite the fear, anxiety, and negativity all around us. Make use of these nine strategies as often as possible to keep your sense of optimism healthy. It will help you not just to survive these trying times, but to succeed despite them.