Syrian Arab Republic

Ministry of Education
The National Center Of The Distinguished
2015-2016

Maintaining a positive
perspective

Preparation of : Lara Maad Ali

Under the supervision of : Suheir
Kharma
Introduction:

Have you ever wondered why some people feel down and defeated when faced with
difficult situations, while others feel challenged and hopeful? All of us know that
everyone has
different reactions
for problems.

Also everyone has

different opinions
about things on
life. For example,
we have a glass of
water which is
half-empty and
half-full so some
people see the

Figure1 :The glass of water

half-empty part of the glass and some others see the half-full part of the glass. And
these different in viewpoints called perspective.

But do you think that we could change our perspectives on life? Do you think that
our perspective can effect in how much our life is successful? Are there times when
optimism can be bad and pessimism can be good? And do you think that people are
innately negative?

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1.1. Optimists and pessimists :

The optimists always see the solution not the problem, and when they go
through hard time, they feel confident that life will get better, Also an optimist
person is always happy, hopeful, friendly, fun, lovable, cheerful and he always
ends his day with a positive thought, no
matter how hard things were because
tomorrow is a fresh opportunity to make it
better.1
The pessimists are cynical ,believe that
life will be always tyrant ,difficult and
painful, tend to expect the worst, see only
problems and give up easily. Also an
pessimist person is offensive, sad get
annoyed easily, and sometimes he

creates his own problem and get angry Figure2 :The diffrence between
about it. perspectives
The difference between optimists and
pessimists isn't a difference about life experiences but rather in how people
perceive and respond to problems. "The pessimist sees difficulty in every
opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty"2

http://us.deskdemon.com/pages/us/training/avoid-negative-thinking#sthash 1
Winston Churchil, British Prime Minister 2

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2.1. The Pros and Cons to both optimism and pessimism: 3

There are

pros and

cons to both

optimism and

pessimism.

Figure3: Albert Schweitzer

Extreme optimism can be off-putting and invalidating because it can

be a denial of reality and pain. Extreme pessimism can be

depressing because it seems only focus on the negative and

catastrophic events. A healthy dose of optimism can be uplifting and

hopeful, while a healthy dose of pessimism can be realistic and

wise. Achieving a balance of being realistic and hopeful isn't always

easy, but it can be a very good challenge, because it'll make you

happier and wiser than before .

http://us.deskdemon.com/pages/us/training/avoid-negative-thinking#sthash3.

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 1.1 ways to be optimistic:

Figure4 : Smile

Smile: Just you have to stand in front of the mirror and force yourself to
smile ,It really does help change your mood and relieve stress. And
remember that " It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown"
Surround yourself with positive people:4 The people around you have a big
impact on you, They impact who you are, and how do you think . if you
surround yourself with negative as well you'll be negative, because of
hearing negatively all day. The opposite is also true, so when you
surround yourself with positive people and you'll be more positive.

Figure5 :Yoga

Do yoga: It took your focus away from your thoughts and brought your
attention to your breath. Yoga is also very relaxing which help ease your
mind. Yoga helps you stay present to your experience so instead of

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-tips-to-overcome-negative-thoughts-positive-thinking-made-easy/4

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 jumping to what could happen, it bring you back to the most important
moment.

Sing:5 The best way to relieve stress and to show your

feelings is by singing or playing music.

Figure6 : The effect of music

change the tone of your thoughts from negative

to positive: We all have negative thoughts from
time to time, so when you find yourself thinking
negatively, just try to find a way to throw them
away by listening to music, walking outside in
the fresh air or doing some exercises to change

Figure7 : Lindsey stirling

your mood.
Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward:
Everybody makes mistakes and nobody is perfect, so learn from your
mistakes and move on.
Try to help someone: Take a focus away from you and do something nice
for others. It makes you feel better, happy and
comfortable for helping someone.

5 http://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-tips-to-overcome-negative-thoughts-positive-thinking-made-easy/5

Figure8 : Being grateful 6

 Be grateful: Because when you are grateful for all wonderful things and
people in your life, the challenges you face seem less important and easier
to deal with.

Figer9 : Never give up

Don't give up: It's so easy to give up but it'll be so annoying and hurting to
lose, it's better to work so hard and be successful than giving up and being
a loser.
2.2 Replacing negative thoughts:
When you think about replacing negativity, you might start by trying to push
those thoughts out of your mind. maybe it's better to change them rather
than trying to push them away. Learn to stop negative thoughts before they
start. And don't ever say these quotes: I can't do that ,It won't happen, It's
impossible, Nothing is good ,Life is hard.

Figure10 : No complaining

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 Stop complaining: Stop the complaining habit and relax ,life is so easy if
you know how to deal with it, so don't make it complicated.

No regrets: you need to stop yourself from getting a caught up in focusing

on the losses and errors of your past, and try to be better than the person
you were yesterday.

Figure11 : No excuses

No excuses: Develop a deeper honesty and truthfulness with yourself and

take full responsibility for what you do, and don't give up on anybody.

Figure12 : Improving mood

Improve your mood:

Relax deeply and cast off black moods, so you enable your unconscious
mind to bring forth a new, more relaxed, more upbeat emotion. You'll also
gain perspective on whatever was making you feel bad.

Figure13 : The big picture

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See the best in others:
See the most beautiful and gentle side of people and stop viewing others
with cynicism and sympathetic understanding.
Think as a child: You're not innately negative, I mean no one was born
negative. Children are little balls of
inquisitive energy.
They skip or run everywhere, they try to
climb trees, be heroes and try to do
things we think it's impossible to do.
Because there's no voice in their heads
telling them "I can't" or "It's impossible". So
just imagine how much your life would be Figure14 : Thinking as a child

different if you think in this way.

Keep practicing positivity replacement:6

Figure 15 : Smile bonbons

You may not quite believe yourself at first, may be your negative thoughts
driving everything. If your thoughts are reasonable and encouraging,
continue saying them to yourself. Instead of predicting disaster, your newer,

6 http://www.psychCentral.com/articles/replacing-your-negative-thoughts

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 more positive thoughts will now pave the way for solutions you may have
never considered before. Your problem has become an opportunity.

1.3. Keeping a positive perspective makes anything possible: 7

Actually nothing is impossible, if the

world itself says "I'm possible". Success
attribute to many things, and the most
important thing is keeping a positive
perspective on life even if things aren't
going exactly your way. In life, if you
want to be successful, you have to face

Figure16: William James's quote

many problems, difficulties, hard experiences and disappointments, but believe

that all of them will make you
strong, wise and confident, and
by simply changing your
perspective on life, you will start
to see amazing things happens.
And believe with your hurt and
soul that you'll be successful and
creative when you keep these
sentences in your mind "I'm
successful" and "I'm creative" with

7http://www.dawngluskin.com/2012/03/06/k
eeping-a-positive-perspective-makes-
Figure17 : Positively thinking anything-possible/

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 working hardly, you'll prove that. And now I'll tell this story about Lance
Armstrong which will help you to be optimistic and successful ,and show you
the power of optimism .Armstrong was a cyclist. He diagnosed with cancer
which had spread to his lungs and brain. His doctors said that "He's in a very
bad situation and he won't live so much" but Armstrong was optimistic and he
felt hopeful and challenged rather than feeling defeated and depressed . He
started preparing for his future, also he found chemotherapy treatments that
wouldn't damage his lungs. He rode the cycle 80 to 100 kilometers a day , so
it was so hard for him because of his sickness. Armstrong survived cancer and
won the tour de France seven times. So Armstrong is an inspiration for those
who need help of being optimistic.

Figure18 : The power inside you

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Conclusion :
Everybody has his own perspective on life , sometime it's so important to
be optimistic or to change your viewpoints from pessimist to optimist by
doing small things for yourself and for others to be happier and more
successful, I mean you can be successful by thinking positively and
working hard to catch your
aim, remember that you're
special but in your own way
.you're a gift to the world and
who you are and what you do
matters, don't be afraid of
anything or anybody because
you're creative, you're special
and you're different .

By the way, sometimes it's

Figure 19 : Smile

good to be pessimistic because you'll face all the blows easily without
being shocked, also you'll deal with problems wisely and easily.

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 Index :
Introduction 2
Optimist and pessimist 3
The Pros and Cons to both 5
optimism and pessimism:
ways to be optimistic:
Replacing negative thoughts: 7
Keeping a positive perspective 10
makes anything possible:
Conclusion : 12
Index: 13
Index of pictures: 14
References: 15

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 Index of pictures:
Picture Picture name Page number
number
1 The glass of water 2
2 The difference between 3
perspectives
3 Albert Schweitzer 4
4 Smile 5
5 Yoga 5
6 The effect of music 6
7 Lindsey stirling 6
8 Being grateful 6
9 Never give up 7
10 No complaining 7
11 No excuses 8
12 Improving mood 8
13 The big picture 8
14 Thinking as a child 9
15 Smile bonbons 9
16 William James's quote 10
17 Positively thinking 10
18 The power inside you 11
19 Smile 12

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References :
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-tips-to-overcome-negative-
thoughts-positive-thinking-made-easy/22/10/2015 1:00PM
http://us.deskdemon.com/pages/us/training/avoid-negative-
thinking22/10/2015 1:30 PM
http://www.dawngluskin.com/2012/03/06/keeping-a-positive-
perspective-makes-anything-possible/22/10/2015 1:40PM
http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/08/top-10-tips-for-
maintaining-positive.html22/10/2015 5:30 PM
http://www.happify.com/hd/stop-dwelling-on-negative-
thoughts 23/10/2015 10:00 AM
http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/10-
steps/negativity23/10/2015 12:00PM
http://www.psychCentral.com/articles/replacing-your-negative-
thoughts23/10/2015 5:00PM

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