Being optimistic does not breed a false reality. Being optimistic should take that bad thing that happened and turn it into a positive. For example, single parents, instead of focusing on the fact that raising children is hard to do on your own. Focus on the fact that this journey has strengthened you as a person. This position has enabled you to see that you are capable of some things you thought you may never be able to do on your own. Being optimistic should not create a false sense of reality that being a single parent is easy, it just isn’t. Here are the steps I take when turning a negative into a positive.

First things first, take a break, calm down and breathe. I like to have a cup of tea or workout. Then, think the situation all the way through, the circumstances, the outcomes, the other outcomes or events that happened due to this issue. Find one positive thing. Ask yourself, if this thing would have happened without this problem. Probably not. Was the issue worth changing your mindset, or going thru so you can get something done, or going thru to force you to make a step you have been thinking about but scared to make.

I love to refer to problems as challenges or hurdles. Challenges and hurdles toughen you, they thicken your skin, they sharpen your mind. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Do you? So the next time you are going thru something, take these steps. I hope it can make your day positive instead of negative!