2008 Woodie Awards
The Power of Positive Thinking
Salazar, Lisa
Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: Life
Whether you are a new freshman or a seasoned college student, starting the new semester can be overwhelming. Suddenly there is a whirlwind of activity, new people, new instructors, new books and lots of demands on time pulling from every possible direction.
So, what will the semester bring? The answer to that question may be entirely up to whether or not you are an optimistic or pessimistic person.
Would you say your glass is half-empty or half-full? This is the analogy many use to test for optimism or pessimism. Another test is checking out the quality of your self-talk. The thoughts that run through our minds every day is considered self-talk. For example, you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the window as you walk by, what do you see? If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you are likely an optimist - someone who practices positive thinking.
In his book, The Luck Factor, British psychologist Richard Wiseman reported that people who seem to get all the breaks "generate their own good fortune." Upon reviewing the data collected during a 10-year study, Wiseman found that individuals with an optimistic outlook achieved better health and overall success than those who were more pessimistic in nature. In fact, some studies show that optimism and pessimism can affect how well, or even how long, a person lives.
With these findings in mind, here are some tips to help develop a more optimistic or positive way of thinking:
1. Do not polarize. Be willing to accept the fact that there is a place between perfection and failure. While we all want to do the very best we can in any given situation, if you tend to polarize things, you will likely see things as either good or bad. This concept becomes really evident in academic situations where the only grading options are A or F with nothing in between - right? Wrong! Allow yourself some middle ground. Just because you are not perfect does not equate to being a total failure. Cut yourself, and those around you, a little slack. Perfection is a very tall order to live up to.
So, what will the semester bring? The answer to that question may be entirely up to whether or not you are an optimistic or pessimistic person.
Would you say your glass is half-empty or half-full? This is the analogy many use to test for optimism or pessimism. Another test is checking out the quality of your self-talk. The thoughts that run through our minds every day is considered self-talk. For example, you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the window as you walk by, what do you see? If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you are likely an optimist - someone who practices positive thinking.
In his book, The Luck Factor, British psychologist Richard Wiseman reported that people who seem to get all the breaks "generate their own good fortune." Upon reviewing the data collected during a 10-year study, Wiseman found that individuals with an optimistic outlook achieved better health and overall success than those who were more pessimistic in nature. In fact, some studies show that optimism and pessimism can affect how well, or even how long, a person lives.
With these findings in mind, here are some tips to help develop a more optimistic or positive way of thinking:
1. Do not polarize. Be willing to accept the fact that there is a place between perfection and failure. While we all want to do the very best we can in any given situation, if you tend to polarize things, you will likely see things as either good or bad. This concept becomes really evident in academic situations where the only grading options are A or F with nothing in between - right? Wrong! Allow yourself some middle ground. Just because you are not perfect does not equate to being a total failure. Cut yourself, and those around you, a little slack. Perfection is a very tall order to live up to.
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