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Become More Optimistic: 6 Smart Tricks

Written by Geoffrey James

To acquire a more positive attitude, all you really need is a more powerful vocabulary. Try these linguistic shifts.

man holding a picture of a blooming tree

Some people see the world through a filter of optimism: They always make lemonade from the lemons, no matter what happens. Others see the world through a filter of pessimism; they always find the cloud in the silver lining.

It’s a truism of life that the optimists are always more successful than the pessimists, but that raises a crucial questions: how can you change your attitude to be more optimistic? The answer? Change the words that you use every day to describe your experience.

Here are some quick language tricks that can change your attitude.

1. Stop using negative phrases … such as “I can’t,” “It’s impossible,” or “This won’t work.” Such statements program your mind to look for negative results.

2. When asked “How are you?” … respond with “Terrific!” or “Fabulous!” or “I’ve never felt better!” rather than a depressing “OK” or “Getting by.”

3. Stop complaining … about things over which you have no control—such as the economy, your company, or your customers.

4. Stop griping … about your personal problems and illnesses. What good does it do, other than to depress you and everyone else?

5. Substitute neutral words … for emotionally loaded ones. For example, rather than saying “I’m enraged!” say “I’m a bit annoyed”—or, better yet, “I’ve got a real challenge.”

6. Expunge profanity and obscenity … from your vocabulary. Such words are always signs of a lazy mind that can’t think of something really witty to say.

Rules 1 through 4 came from Jeff Keller, author of the bestseller Attitude Is Everything. Rule 5 come from Tony Robbins. Rule 6, as it happens, comes from my mother.

Bonus:(????)? Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Rare photos of the old and the dead

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Shaquille O'neal

Bob Marley and The Jackson Five, 1975

Bob Marley and The Jackson Five, 1975

Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein

Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein

Charlie Chapling and Gandhi

Charlie Chapling and Gandhi

Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee

Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee

Danny DeVito and Christopher Reeve

Danny DeVito and Christopher Reeve

Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain

Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Elvis Presley and Tom Jones

Elvis Presley and Tom Jones

Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly

Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly

George Harrison and Bob Marley

George Harrison and Bob Marley

Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren G. Harding, and Harvey Firestone, 1921

Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren G. Harding, and Harvey Firestone, 1921

Ian Fleming and Sean Connery

Ian Fleming and Sean Connery

James Brown and Mick Jagger, 1964

James Brown and Mick Jagger, 1964

James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor

James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor

Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash

Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash

Jimi Hendrix & Mick Jagger, New York, 1969

Jimi Hendrix & Mick Jagger, New York, 1969

John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Pierre Elliot Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada), 1969

John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Pierre Elliot Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada), 1969

Johnny Cash and Ray Charles

Johnny Cash and Ray Charles

Madonna, Sting, and 2Pac

Madonna, Sting, and 2Pac

Marilyn Monroe and Sammy Davis Jr.

Marilyn Monroe and Sammy Davis Jr.

Marilyn Monroe meets Queen Elizabeth II, 1956

Marilyn Monroe meets Queen Elizabeth II, 1956

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr. and Marlon Brando

Martin Luther King Jr. and Marlon Brando

Michael Jackson & Mr. T

Michael Jackson & Mr. T

Michael Jackson, Francis Ford Coppola, and George Lucas

Michael Jackson, Francis Ford Coppola, and George Lucas

Mother Teresa and Princess Diana

Mother Teresa and Princess Diana

Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood

Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood

Salvador Dali and Coco Chanel

Salvador Dali and Coco Chanel

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

The Beatles and Mohammad Ali, 1964

The Beatles and Mohammad Ali, 1964

The Cast of the Original Star Wars Trilogy

The Cast of the Original Star Wars Trilogy

Walt Disney and Shirley Temple

Walt Disney and Shirley Temple

Dad uses Facebook to teach daughter a lesson

A 15-year-old puts up a Facebook post bashing her parents for making her work too hard, dad reacts by posting a video response to her grievances on her Facebook page.

Was this parent’s Facebook parenting too harsh?

Bonus: Alphabet taught to kids nowadays….WOW