Poet Khalil Gibran once wrote, “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”

He refers to optimism which is both a philosophy and an attitude. It’s a philosophy because of how you interpret those events in your everyday life. It’s an attitude because of how you move forward. It’s a way of life, a perspective or a lens through which you evaluate desirable or undesirable events unfolding in your daily life.

My personal life philosophy is anchored in an ocean of optimism. It fills me with curiosity and wonder to keep exploring, learning, and growing. It offers me a boundless oasis of hope and possibility and it helps me rise when I fall. I see beauty all around me, the meaning behind my struggles and the infinite blessings of my life.

Optimism can be learnt and cultivated. Ask yourself, “What daily principles can I live by so that I can become more optimistic by nature?”

Here are 7 principles you can adopt in your daily life, which encourage a permanent state of optimism:

Principle #1: An optimist understands the fundamental rule that seeing is not believing; rather, believing is seeing. If you believe that a solution does exist to your problem, you will see possibilities, and consequently, you’ll be more inclined to manifest the future.

Principle 2#: An optimist doesn’t engage in wishful thinking; an optimist engages in resilient and deliberate work. Yes, you can choose to believe in a better future, and yes, you can see all the possible ways in which it can manifest, but the truth is, the wheels will not turn unless you get up and turn them. What stops most of us from taking action is resistance which shows up as procrastination and self-doubt.  The only thing you can do is get up and start where you are – take the next step.

Principle 3#:  Instead of focusing on what you can’t control, an optimist looks at what can be controlled. The only choice we have is how we respond to what happens – our opinions, aspirations, habits and the actions we take.

Principle 4#:       An optimist lives and works from a place of love, not fear. We can either live our lives from a fear-based belief system, or one that is rooted in love. Live from a place of love, and you will discover an abundance of courage, confidence, strength and generosity.

Principle 5#:       Make optimism a habit.

As Simon Sinek says: “There are two ways to see the world. Some people see the thing that they want, and some people see the thing that prevents them from getting the thing that they want.”

Principle 6#:       An optimist finds positive meaning even in the face of negative events. The way to do this is to draw on positive emotions in times of stress to better challenge negative emotions.

Principle 7#:       An optimist sees the beauty in all there is. If you choose to believe your aspirations are possible, then you will see the beauty in your imagination. If you choose to do the daily work that will lead you there, you will see beauty in your efforts and champion your progress.

Optimism is about acknowledging the troubles of today, whilst also turning challenges into opportunities.