Consistent People Are Optimists

Do you remember the 90s rom-com with Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson, As Good As It Gets? They were at the peak of their art and won Academy Awards for their roles. The film is a classic.

Nicholson's famously eccentric and misanthropic character, the OCD-tortured Melvin, fires off a host of iconic lines that are hilarious for their dryness and razor-sharp edginess. Perhaps his best line is the pessimistic capitulation that gave the movie its title, "What if this is as good as it gets?" 

As funny and brutally realistic as those words may be, that sort of mindset is the opposite of optimism. 

Optimism is the trust and confidence that things can and will always get better.

In last week's missive, we began unpacking the attributes that make our most successful members successful. Without question, they are consistent. They show up and do the work, day after day after day, regardless of external circumstances, distractions, disruptions, and competing priorities.

Consistent people are optimists.

They intrinsically believe that life and, more specifically, their future self can and will be better. Their nature is to believe that the work they put into themselves and their goals will eventually and inevitably result in positive change. They know in their hearts that better is not only possible, it's certain, as long as they keep working and improving. For them, their present circumstances are never "as good as it gets."

Now, I'll admit that there are days when these glass-half-full people can be annoying, when I'm feeling more like Melvin than I'd care to admit, and I kinda want to punch them. I suspect we all have days like that.

But, here's a cool thing about optimism - we can choose it, even on days when we want to slap the half-full glass right out of that damned optimist's hand.

It all has to do with what we look for in people and in the world. And with whom we surround ourselves.

When we look for bad, dark, and gloomy, it's unlikely that we'll find good, bright, and cheery. If the people we choose to be with are bad, dark, and gloomy, it's unlikely that we'll feel good, bright, and cheery.

That choice between optimism and pessimism is critical because it influences our belief that our efforts will pay off. When we know that they will, it helps us to be consistent. The pessimist soon begins to question whether all their efforts are even worth it. Why bother if this is as good as it gets?

Practical tip... focus on your wins.

Want to be more consistent and optimistic? Brooding over the workouts you missed and condemning yourself for the crappy meals you ate isn't going to help matters. If you got 3 out of 5 workouts done that week, give yourself an attagirl for knocking out those three. Focus on the wins.

Next week, we'll dig into how consistent people seem to have an enviable groundedness to them. They seem to have perfect clarity on what's truly essential to them. They always appear to be focused, squared away, and unflappable. I like and admire these people.

At MidStrong, we're optimistic that this ain't even close to being "as good as it gets." We KNOW that making food, fitness, and function our priority will power the best years of our lives.

Want to get stronger, look leaner, and feel better than you have in decades? Cool, we want that for you too. Use this link to schedule a free consultation to see how MidStrong can help you choose optimism and be consistent.

Work it. Live it. Keep it.

MidStrong is for life.