Attitude. It is the thing that parents tell you to fix, your friends give back to you, and what can keep you on the track to success. Sometimes, however, there is a worst case scenario; for example, Pessimists. Pessimists overthink everything and always expect the worst possible outcome. Sometimes, it is intentional. They put pressure on themselves to do more than what is expected of them to make sure nothing bad happens, and usually they exceed their own expectations. Sometimes, however, it is unintentional. They do it simply because they expect failure or the worst to happen. They fear the idea of disappointment and find joy when they unexpectedly do better than they thought they were going to do. A pessimistic person can grow into becoming an extremely hard worker, but also will usually carry alongside them a gazillion doubts, worries, stress, trust issues and a lack of joy if their worst fear comes true. 

Now on the other hand, there are those people who just seem like they live life completely stress-free and with what some people consider a “you only live once” (YOLO) mindset. These people live by the idea that whatever happens, happens. What is meant to be, will be. They are not afraid of the worst happening because they realize that really we are living on a floating rock in the middle of a galaxy that is most likely insignificant to the amounts of galaxies in this universe. Aside from the astronomical aspects of their mindset, they live life to the fullest because they are able to see the joy and comfort of doing well, while also realizing that if you fail, it’s not the end of the world. What do YOLO mindset people have that pessimists don’t? It’s a positive mindset. 

Positivity isn’t just the act of being joyous or confident in yourself and spreading positive ideas; it’s much more than that. When you are thinking positive, your entire mindset changes with you. For pessimistic people, it can be extremely hard to think positively because they find comfort in acknowledging the negative aspects and hyperfocusing on them. When you’re positive, you are not only able to focus on both the positive and the negative, but you are also able to obtain a growth mindset. A growth mindset allows you to take constructive criticism and improve on things you might not be good at or want to improve and empowers you to fulfill your goals and desires. Having a positive mindset doesn’t mean that you don’t still have your moments of failure, or that you don’t feel stress and anxiety like a person with a pessimistic mindset does. But attaining a positive mindset can not only help with your job, school, sports and life, but also your overall health. 

In a study by Johns Hopkins on “The Power of Positive Thinking,” It stated that people with a family history of heart disease who had a positive mindset were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular events within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook. Researchers believe that people who have a positive mindset may be better protected against the inflammatory damage of stress. Additionally, hope and positivity help people make better health and life decisions and focus more on long-term goals. Studies also found that negative emotions relating to a negative mindset can weaken immune response. In simpler terms: a positive mindset is a part of what keeps you, your body, and your mental health all in check. 

Another way to look at a positive mindset and its power is the example behind sports. Sports, although you might think otherwise, are extremely mentally taxing. Of course they have their physically taxing aspects, and their emotionally rewarding parts; but when it comes to putting all your effort into a single race, or putting all your time into practicing for a sport, your mindset becomes your lifeline. Your mindset in sports can be the driving factor of a win or loss, team energy and vibe, and so much more. It can be the reason you win. Because let’s look at it from a real perspective: everyone, no matter if it is an individualized-type sport, like swimming, or a team sport, like football and volleyball, your main goal is to win and improve. If you improve your mindset, you can improve in your sport and in your mind as well. 

So to summarize all the jumbled thoughts of this column: a positive mindset can keep you healthy, successful, full of joy, and a super star at your sport or hobby. Really, a positive mindset will make your life much happier, and it will radiate to everyone around you. #spreadthelove.