When we consider what it means to spread positive ripples, our interactions with others are at the top of the list of what comes to mind. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we have an influence on several different levels when we interact with others. Of course, there’s all the surface stuff: what’s actually being said, the words that are being used, facial expressions, and physiology or body language. But then there are all of the things we don’t necessarily process with our physical senses so much as we intuit with our interpretation of the other person’s energy and our perception of the circumstance based on past experiences. When we have a generally optimistic outlook—not to be confused with unrealistic optimism—we carry that positive energy with us throughout our day. So, how can you begin a practice of mindful optimism to help you create positive ripples throughout your life? Let’s delve a little deeper and find out.
So, right up front, let’s consider the difference between healthy, productive optimism and unrealistic or even unhealthy optimism. Optimism isn’t about doing things that are unsafe or self-damaging because you believe you won’t be affected; this is much too close to denial of reality and could create more problems than it solves. However, if you journey through your days knowing that no matter what happens, it is temporary and meant to teach you or show you something, you will find that your life becomes less stressful and you are better able to handle whatever challenges might come your way.
There’s no way to avoid life, but you do have the option to choose how you respond to what happens in your life. In the same way that you can consciously choose to handle things calmly and with composure, you can choose to interact with others on a level of positivity and love that will ripple outward and can potentially touch countless lives. And wow! How powerful we are as human beings, and how amazing that we can choose to take responsibility for how we interact with our world and what kind of effect we have on others, which then comes back to us.
A practice of mindful optimism can help you to be consistent on every level, from your thoughts and emotions to the words you say and how you say them. We are constantly communicating with our environment as well as with each other, so understanding how some of these levels of communication work, especially behind the scenes, can give you clarity about yourself, your life, the way your days play out more often than not, and many other insights, so here are a few ways you can begin to practice mindful optimism.
5 Ways to Practice Mindful Optimism
- Smile! Smile at everyone and greet people with warmth, affection, appreciation, and gratitude. When you carry these emotions or energies with you, it will be communicated on numerous levels such as through your eyes, through your genuine smile, and through the way you speak to those around you. The brain responds to certain facial expressions such as smiles, so just by smiling at someone you help lift their mood by affecting mirror neurons in their brain. This creates a natural dopamine release and will instantly lift someone’s mood, although this may not be the case if you aren’t genuine in your interactions, which brings us to the next point.
- Be authentic in your interactions. You don’t necessarily have to agree with someone in order to respect them as a person, and if you respect someone while disagreeing with them, they will feel the wisdom in your communication as long as it’s genuine. We can sense things on deeper levels than just the surface, so making sure that your words, thoughts, emotions, and actions are in alignment will help you to be more and more authentic and communicate this on every level.
- It’s not about avoiding negative emotions, it’s about transmuting them into something that serves you. Rather than avoiding your negative emotions, sit with them for a moment and feel them. Yes, some of them are uncomfortable, but emotions are energy, so they have to go somewhere; they don’t just disappear if you avoid them. So, allow yourself to feel even if it’s uncomfortable, recognize the reason behind the emotional response if you can, and then allow yourself to express your emotion in a constructive way. The ways you can do this may vary, but some people exercise to release excess energy, while others express their thoughts in a journal or by creating art of some kind. However, when you are able to properly work through your emotions, you will be able to handle whatever may come much more effectively.
- Whatever you send out will make its way back to you sooner or later, so make sure that you are living in integrity. This is the easiest way to avoid unforeseen “negative” consequences, and your emotional or energetic resonance will attract things back to you that match your vibration, which is how the law of attraction plays into it as well. Sometimes this can run really, really deep, and sometimes you may learn things about yourself on a level you weren’t necessarily aware of before. This is a breaking through process a lot of times, and you may even find yourself realizing the same thing on several different levels at different times. Every new revelation or epiphany is a new signal or connection forming in your brain, so you can literally use your intent and applied knowledge to completely recondition yourself.
- It’s all about your habits, so try not to develop any thought habits that create negative or unwanted emotions or send out energy or vibes that are detrimental to everyone. One example of this is if you habitually think negative thoughts about other people, while you’re driving, for example. Any anger we end up lashing out with will attract a manifestation of something with the same energy, so why not send out love and appreciation rather than anger and hatred? Another example is if you have ever been in the habit of making fun of or criticizing people as you see them. This creates toxicity within yourself because thoughts and words have power, too, and they can have an influence on your emotional state.
The ripple effect you send out into the world has to do not only with your words and actions but also with your energy and attitude about things. Practicing mindful optimism is a wonderful way to become more aware of the influence you do have and use this knowledge to step into your power and live the thriving life you deserve to live. Remember that abundance is your birthright; all we have to do is align with it.
Thanks so much for reading! We hope you enjoy our weekly blog articles and join us again next week for a new article here on the Mindful Leader Blog.
For more information about the Mindfulness Movement or the International Mindfulness Federation, please visit:
http://executivecoachinguniversity.com/mindfulness-movement
