Fundamental Seven: Develop Positive, Optimistic Thinking

Created By: MICHAEL W. FORDYCE, Ph.D
Answers the question – What are the top 14 traits of happy people?

Highlights
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU HAVE —
IT’S HOW YOU VIEW WHAT YOU HAVE…

Psychology has extensively written about the phenomenon called “the self-fulfilling prophecy.” It is based on the well-documented fact that prophecies we make about future events often become true because we make them come true.

Happy people tend to:

• have a high degree of positive, optimistic thinking patterns
• look on “the brighter side”
• have optimistic view points for the past, present and future- while most people tend to save their optimism only for looking back at past events.
• Count their blessings regularly – they notice how they are blesses in comparison to those who are less fortunate.

Advice:

Try  interpreting  the past, present, and future in positive terms.

Practice

Make a “blessing list” – How are you blessed? Especially compared to others who are less fortunate?

Fundamental Seven is “Develop Your Positive, Optimistic Thinking,” and it may well be the single, most profound Fundamental of all, in terms of the insight it provides into the achievement of happiness. This Fundamental says that you might well become a much happier person if you could develop the high degree of positive, optimistic thinking patterns happy people have.

We refer to this Fundamental as “The Royal Road to Happiness” because it appears to be the one trait that contributes to more to personal happiness than any happiness-trait ever uncovered in the research.

We also refer to it as “The Missing Link” of happiness research, because it explains many of the anomalies in the happiness data which have mystified researchers in the past. For example, why are some people who appear to have all the “good things one could wish for in life” often unhappy? And how come others, who have practically nothing good going on in their lifves, manage to be so happy?

But first: what is optimism? And how does positive thinking contribute to one’s happiness?