We all ultimately want fulfillment.    Since your intentions  and your actions determine whether fulfillment will be yours, it’s important to thoroughly shift to the positive.  In other words, to get the life you want, adopt a habit of interpreting your experiences positively and then take actions that influence positive outcomes.  This is not pink clouding!  It’s just as important to shun blind faith as it is to eliminate stagnant pessimism.  Here are the 12 rules of  dynamic optimism:

Interpret your experiences  positively: Whatever you focus on, expands — in your brain, your body, and your world. We create our lives with our expectations, as well as our actions. As Rick Hanson, neurologist and author of  Budda’s Brain  says, “Neurons that fire together, wire together!”  So to continue emanating positive intentions from your being, you have to be selective about how you view yourself and your life and what you expose yourself to. This is the basis of the first five rules of D.O.:

• Selectively focus on the positive.  What you focus on grows. If you focus on negativity, acknowledge it happened and let it go.   Focus on joy.   That will grow.
• Refrain from complaining. If you focus on the negative, anger, resentment and envy will grow.  Remember the Chipawa saying, “Sometimes I go about pitying myself when all along I am being carried by great winds across the sky!”  Also, negative experiences have great value for us.
• Inject humor when interpreting your experience. Make it a conscious choice to choose a humorous take on your experience. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves.
• Have a sense of abundance.  D.O.”s do not focus on what they don”t have, but on what they do have.   A D.O. applauds another’s success rather than being jealous.  Demonstrate gratitude. “Grace is found in the chalice of gratitude.”
• Question Limits. D.O”s don”t believe in road blocks.  It’s okay to question limitations  and stay open to pathways of opportunity.: It’s not enough to think positively. You have to take positive actions:

• Take personal responsibility for all that happens to you.  People who have a life purpose tend to take more responsibility.   Taking responsibility requires a strong sense of purpose.  The clearer your vision, the easier your destination.   Taking responsibility takes perseverance, delayed gratification, integrity and living your values.
• Be experimental! Be open to new experiences. Psychological research has shown that openness to new experiences, rather than ability to memorize and manipulate data, may be the most most important component to intelligence.
• Think rationally rather than allowing irrational fears to dominate.
• Have self confidence.  Self confidence is a choice.  D.O.”s are personal agents.   They make things happen.  They think, “I am self confident at life.”
• Be continually self improving. Read. Take courses. Grow.
• Have self worth.  Self confidence + self worth equal = self esteem.   “I  deserve  to live.”   I believe we are worthy of success and happiness.   Your core belief was put there by someone else, usually by caretakers.   You can replace it.
• Selectively choose your environment,  especially who you are around.  Surround yourself with people who fuel you rather than drain you.

Try being a Dynamic Optimist in thought and deed for just one full day. See what happens.  To learn more, check out the strategic philosopher, Max More on Dynamic Optimism.