Joyfully optimistic by Ros Ben-Moshe
Joy and optimism go together like a smile and sunshine. Both tilt your mood, making your inner and outer world shine brighter. Yet how often do we temper both? There’s a human tendency to focus on the negative, courtesy of our brain’s in-built negativity bias seeking for threat. However, it does not need to be this way. With attention and intention, we can grow the goodness in our lives. To notice and appreciate the small specific things that put a smile on our faces, making us feel all is well in our lives. Even if only fleetingly. Where attention goes, energy flows, so neural pathways are developed in time, directing us to the many positive attributes in our day.
This coming year let’s incant the notion of freudenfreude. Derived from the German word for joy, it’s that buoyant and cheerful feeling you get when you see or hear about someone else’s good fortune or flourishing. Freudenfreude is a more joyful alternative to schadenfreude used to describe the pleasure derived from someone’s misfortune. Don’t keep joy to yourself. Let it ripple far and wide. As where there’s joy, optimism is rarely far behind.
Ros Ben-Moshe founded LaughLife Wellbeing programs in 2005, sparked by her passion for enhancing positive wellbeing – one person at a time. As an adjunct lecturer at La Trobe University School of Public Health and Psychology and author of “Laughing at Cancer – How to Heal with Love, Laughter and Mindfulness”, Ros drew on her personal and professional life experience to deliver inspiring and meaningful programs. Her next book, “The Laughter Effect – How to Build Joy, Positivity and Resilience in Your Life”, will be published in 2023.