Project Optimism: A Dose of My Own Medicine

glory's waiting outside your window

wake on up from your slumber,

baby, open up your eyes.

-needtobreathe

There are a few things I like to do in this life. (Well, there's really more, but for the intents and purposes of this blog post, there's only a few.) I like to pretend I have a twitter by hashtagging random sayings in my facebook statuses. I like to find hope and rainbows in cloudy days and demeanors. And I like to write lists in my moleskine notebook.

Another thing I like to do in this life, is call myself an optimist. Granted, in the midst of a situation I tend to see things very black and white. It's either gonna work out or it will fail and I'll either be at peace or I'll be completely miserable. But, even when I overwhelm myself I know deep down that things will work out because "...we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). And when I looked up the actual meaning of optimism, I agreed with my self-description.

Being optimistic is not necessarily being joyful in every situation. I think that is a common misconception. Optimism is seeing the good where others fail to. It is seeing the potential in someone and having the hope that it will be reached. I believe optimism is a choice. For everyone. It is a lifestyle. Optimism is being "hopeful and confident about the future or the successful outcome of something". Enter #projectoptimism.

It all started early in the summer when I gave a friend the challenge to find something good in every day. I thought I was so clever in coming up with this challenge, but taking the challenge myself wasn't something that crossed my mind until a couple weeks ago. I think because I don't deal with depression on a regular basis, I forget that optimism/pessimism is a mindset that I am largely in control of. Of course there will be days when I'll think the world is just simply out to get me! I am human. I am described by many different words and my mood changes daily, even hourly. But I refuse to let that become a constant in my life.

You see, all the time we focus on our inadequacies, our insecurities, our fears, the improbable what ifs in a situation.... We dig ourselves a rut that can seem near impossible to get out of, the walls lined with the lies and discouragements of the world that we forget to look out for the positive encouragement God gives us every day. It can be the WORST day of your life, but you're still alive.

weeping may go on all night,

but joy comes with the morning

psalm 30:5

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the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness

lamentations 3:22-23

We all fall into the trap of clinging to the bad and forgetting the good. How many times have you had a great start to the day and then one little thing - like the Dav's espresso machine being broken or a bit of rain on your (semi) perfectly coiffed hair - turns your day right around? Once that instance happens, it seems to wipe our memory clean and all we can focus on is that bad moment and how nothing is going right.

We were discussing this is small group those weeks ago and this is what brings us full circle. As one of our girls brought up, Philippians 4:8 tells us to "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." But how often do we really do this? It was in that moment that I - rather spontaneously - decided to give not only my small group the same challenge I gave my friend before, but this time, I took it myself.

So now we have "Project: Optimism". I never intended it to become "a thing". I thought I was the only member of our small group who actually took this challenge to heart, honestly. I immediately made a list in my notebook and affectionately called it "Project: Optimism" simply because I really like naming things. At the end of every day, I forced myself to process its events. What had I done that day? But more importantly, what was good about that day?

Take this blog post as my invitation to join this challenge. As I said before, I believe optimism is a choice and a lifestyle. I don't care what kind of a diagnosis you've been given. We have the power to overcome the let-downs of this world, because guess what? Jesus already has. He calls us to rise up and to take our place beside him as we go out in his name to do the work of our father. To reclaim this earth for everything that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,

let us also run with endurance the race which has been set before us,

fixing our eyes on Jesus - the author and perfecter of faith -

who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame,

and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

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