7 Points of Optimism

A brilliant woman who coaches me on my business, Coco Fossland - self-titled Success Alchemist, was chatting with me in her living room one afternoon this past fall about my endeavor to bridge my artistic sense as a photographer with my desire to inspire millions of people with optimism. She said, "You know what you need? You need the 7 Points of Optimism."

She meant it as an example - a metaphor for some kind of methodology or set of principles that would serve as the guideposts for myself, and for those upon whom I wanted to shed this light. But as it turned out, 7 Points were exactly the right number and way to sum up my thinking.

Many people are interested in the power of positive thinking - particularly with increasing understanding of the Law of Attraction, and the way our thoughts create our life experience. However, I don't know a whole lot of people who would actually identify themselves as an optimist.

I'm not sure how I became an optimist - I reckon I was born this way, although perhaps this will become fodder for future blogging down the line. But for now, I have identified the way that I manage to think about things in a positive way, and the steps are simple enough for anyone to try at any level of neutrality, or even pessimism, about how the world works.

The day after Coco planted the seed in my head, I awoke in the morning and the 7 Points of Optimism essentially wrote themselves into my journal. Each one of them has its own value in the moment, but they can also be used as a 7-step creative process, which could be applied to any artistic endeavor, to conjure a creative business solution, or even when one needs a new take on a personal, emotional issue.

The basis is noticing and being willing to own one's own experience as such - that is, if you are willing to acknowledge your thoughts and feelings as your own, and not something being forced upon you, you are ready to experience things more optimistically, if you so choose. All that is required is a desire to change your perspective, and a knowledge that you can.

You can read the 7 Points below, and I am including them here for easy reference, both for myself and anyone who reads my blog. I would also invite you to download them for free - all you have to do is CLICK HERE, and enter your email address where prompted, and you will receive a printable PDF of the 7 Points of Optimism featuring 3 of my photos.

In sharing these words, I want them to become even more real in my life. I would love to hear from you about any attempts to apply them to your experiences, and about any thoughts you may have.

Sarah Sloboda’s SEVEN POINTS OF OPTIMISM:

1) Appreciating things as they Are.
Recognizing that nothing needs to change for me to be happy in this moment.

2) Finding the "Awe."
Once I see how things are, I can find ONE thing wonderful in this moment, exactly as it is.

3) Experiential Immersion.
Allow myself to bask in the "awe" feeling I have discovered in the now. To feel fully, all through my body, the wonder of this moment I am experiencing.

4) Relishing.
Jotting down the thought, calling a friend and sharing, taking a picture. Making the awe of this moment somehow go beyond this moment. (This creates expansion of the "awe.")

5) Self-discovery.
Recognizing my role in this experience - that the reason this moment could be relished was because I took the time to engage in it.

6) Honoring my Value.
Appreciating the role I have played, and thanking myself for allowing the true wonder of this experience to flow through me. In relishing it, I have expanded it for myself and others.

7) Make space for Creativity.
My call to interpret the moment beautifully is innate. All I had to do was make the space for it, and it appeared.