Tag Archives: optimism

How to Raise an Optimistic Child

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Would you like your child to have the ability to see the bright side of things? Do you want your child to have a happier attitude – and life? It is possible! There are things parents can do if they want to raise an optimistic child. Be a Good Example Children tend to imitate their parents. If you want to raise an optimistic child, you need to teach them how to be optimistic. Pay attention to how often you complain about things. The more a parent does that, the more their kids learn that they should look at life in … Continue reading →

Staying Open to Good Surprises…as a Family

The other day, I wrote a little piece about how it seems to be that some of the best things happen when we least expect them. As a single parent family, we can get used to being braced for trials and troubles and forget that there are plenty of good surprises that come our way too. What about making a family practice to celebrate and notice those wonderful good surprises instead of just bracing for the troublesome ones? Okay, so maybe we would all love to win the lottery and surely a windfall of that magnitude would be a happy … Continue reading →

The Role of Timing

As much as I sometimes hate to admit it, there is something to be said for timing–things happening at just the right time vs. trying to force things to happen when the timing just isn’t right. As single parents, we can ease our workload and our stress load some by taking into account the role that timing can play in our lives. I wrestle with the whole concept of timing myself–it is hard getting older and feeling as though time is starting to slip away and that I need to “get a move on” and still understand that there is … Continue reading →

Are You Expecting the Future to be Just Like the Past?

One of the thinking errors we single parents can be guilty of is relying so much on our experiences and our past history and trying to use it to predict the future. This can get us into a place where we expect that things will always stay the same or because we have one (or more) “failed” relationships, lost jobs, personal struggles—then we will definitely have more in the future. Using our past experiences as a means to try to predict the future can get us stuck and get us into trouble with our self-esteem and optimism. I know that … Continue reading →

Remaining Optimistic in the Face of Failure

Let’s face it, we all make mistakes, and most of us learn from our mistakes and our able to grow and learn and “do better next time.” Some of us have children, however, who tend to make A LOT of mistakes, or it takes them a while to learn from the stumbles and mistakes they do make. As a parent, it can be hard to remain trusting and optimistic when our kids have such a hard time–but it is important we do. Otherwise, we may actually keep them from being able to stand on their own. The thing is, it … Continue reading →

Longevity And Your State of Mind

Nature seems to reward those who love life and are optimistic. Studies from the Yale University indicate that people who are optimistic in middle age tend to live seven years (or more) longer than those who only look on the down side. Why? Researchers from the University of Kentucky think it’s the stress factor. Optimists do get stressed, but they also tend to turn it around quickly and get back to a positive state of mind. So how do you become an optimist if you aren’t one already? There are four habits you can adopt that can make a big … Continue reading →

Entrepreneurs Have a Healthy Dose of Optimism

I do not know for sure if people who start their own businesses are more optimistic than the average population, it is just a hunch of mine. I think it takes the ability to override all the skeptics and nay-sayers, not to mention all the reasons why you SHOULD NOT start a business, to take the leap and start one anyway. Add to that the fact that many entrepreneurs try one or two times, and overcome failing business ventures before they land on something that works, and I think we are a pretty optimistic bunch! I think that home business … Continue reading →

Negative Thoughts Don’t Help

Crisis, difficulty and hardship can bring out some negativity in even the most positive and optimistic of us. As a single parent, it can be easy to slip into patterns of negative thinking simply because we may have had some pretty unpleasant things go down in our lives and, despite the pleasures of parenthood, there are some definite challenges too. It is important to remind ourselves that getting stuck in negative thinking cycles really doesn’t help… So, what do I mean when I say “negative thoughts”? Well things like: “My ex will never pay child support” or “I’ll never be … Continue reading →

Take Inventory of Your Good Points

Alright, you’ve beat yourself up, settled in with a pint of ice cream, or filled your journal with all your parenting mistakes and all the reasons you are single and unlovable–now it is time to take stock of all your good points–all those things you are doing well and all the fabulous and wonderful things you do as a vibrant and successful single parent… I know it is much easier to find fault with ourselves. Plus, we’ve got a whole world out there telling us that we have failed and that single parent families are contributing to the downfall of … Continue reading →

Allowing Yourself to Think BIG

Just because we have small businesses or small home-based businesses does not mean that they have to stay small, or that it has to mean that our businesses are struggling and tiny. Sometimes, it is just a matter of letting our minds and goals expand, and letting ourselves thing BIG when it comes to planning how to grow our home businesses. So, what does it mean to think BIG? Well, I can share that in my own home business, I tend to limit myself based on what I “think” I can do all by myself. I tend to think in … Continue reading →