Optimists enjoy many health and lifestyle benefits , and tend to
be happier overall. Optimism is measured by your explanatory
style, or how you define events. If you can learn to define
positive events as being a) because of something you did, b) a
sign of more good things to come and c) evidence that good
things will happen in other areas of your life, you’re halfway
there. If you can also think of negative events as a) not your
fault, and b) isolated occurrences that have no bearing on
future events or other areas of your life, you’re the rest of
the way there! (Are you an optimist? Take the Optimism Quiz Time
Required: Just a Few Extra Minutes - When something positive
happens in your life, stop to analyze your thought process for a
moment. Are you giving yourself due credit for making it happen?
Think of all the strengths you possess and ways you contributed,
both directly and indirectly, to make this event occur. For
example, if you aced a test, don’t just think of how great it is
that you were prepared,