How to Be an Optimist in a Critical World

Everywhere I look lately there is a cause, a criticism and a sense of hopelessness for how we are meeting the needs of the world. It’s difficult to know how to stay engaged and informed while living a life of peace, love and optimism.

When things seem hopeless and dark, there is a temptation to turn it all off; to remove people we disagree with from our news feeds, to shut out the political conversation and to put on rose-colored glasses hoping things will just work out. The problem with this mentality is that it isn’t optimistic or hopeful, it’s blind. Shutting out the problem doesn’t help create the world we long to see, it only protects us from what makes us uncomfortable. In return, we are stifled, stuck and far from optimistic.

True optimism is more than positive thoughts and high hopes. By definition, optimism is a hopeful confidence about the future; confidence being defined by a certainty rooted in truth. This means true optimism is not just blind faith or complacency; it’s where dreaming, truth and action collide!

So, if you’re an optimist who has felt overwhelmed and bombarded by the harshness of the world, then stay engaged, stay grounded and take action.

Here are four ways you can be an optimist in a harsh world:

1. Start with self-love and self-compassion.

When you begin to understand how important it is for your needs to be met, your eyes open to the needs of others and you have the energy to extend a helping hand. Many of us feel overwhelmed at the amount of needs we see. When you’re taking care of yourself and staying grounded, you’ll be a better judge of how you can give your energy without depleting your cup. (No one is helpful when they’ve run completely dry!)

2. Keep an understanding heart.

Be open to new ideas, different opinions and try to understand people who are different than you. It’s easy to love someone who is just like you, and it’s tempting to shut out those family members and old friends who believe differently. What can you do to be a bridge, not a gap? How can you bring an un-offended heart to the conversation and kindly engage? Understanding builds bridges.

What can you do to be a bridge, not a gap?

3. Remember love is an action.

Instead of trying to fix every issue in the world (which often leaves us paralyzed), take one simple step of action. You don’t have to be passionate about the same causes as your friends. Find your one thing and devote yourself to taking action on your one thing. Ask yourself, if love is an action, then what am I moving toward?

4. Stay powerfully engaged.

Living with a close-mind and rose-colored veil might make you happier for a while, but it will also lead to you feeling bombarded with negative information and helpless! Choose to live powerfully engaged. You can make decisions in love instead of reacting in fear, be informed without being overwhelmed and see suffering with an option to serve. When you live like this, you can be a part of creating the world you long to see.

Being an optimist is so much more than blind faith and inspiring quotes on Instagram. Optimism is grounded confidence and creating the world we dream of. Instead of allowing life’s harsh realities to make you hopeless and stifled, get excited!

We are not just hoping for a good outcome, we are creating the world we long to see. As you go, just remember to take care of yourself, remain open, keep loving and stay in your power. When things get especially hard, remember you aren’t alone.

We’ve got this, together.

How do you stay optimistic when it feels impossible? How you maintain civiv engagement without becoming overwhelmed with the world’s problems?

Image via Ceci Frost