Optimists have to work hard, damn hard. We have to think on our feet, push boundaries and face formidable foes and still maintain a smile.
There is no time off.
We ply our trade, day in and day out.
Our default setting is ‘always-on battle mode’.
Optimism is peppery, feisty and gladiatorial. It relentlessly defends hope and positivity from pessimism, defeatism and world-weariness. It does this with grit, grace and glory.
Optimism is a hard-earned daily effort but worth every tussle and scuffle.
Optimism has to be gladiatorial because it lives in the Colosseum of Life and it is being attacked from all sides all of the time. We have to shout to be heard in the din of the lion’s den.
Instead of crocodiles, bears, tigers, rhinoceroses and lions, there’s toxicity, negativity, doubt, suspicion and mistrust. These wild animals all need dealing with and dispatching. Negative vibes will never give you a positive life.
Thankfully, we don’t have to engage in violent games filled with feats of strength and bloodshed but we do have to be strong, determined and relentless.
Instead, we voice our positive messages and block the mood hoovers that do their best to drag us to their level.
We fight for our right to be Panglossian, our right to be buoyant and our right to be Pickwickian. This is heart, mind and soul optimism and we don’t let anyone limit our joy.
The Colosseum of Life is actually an exhilarating space of radical possibilities when optimism is allowed its moment to shine. But it has to be adversarial and flip the negative narratives and oppose the doom and gloom merchants. Positivity is power in the arena and your biggest security risk is you.
To be an optimist requires great courage, 2am courage. You have to have a focused eye on your opponent and have the mindset that you will not be taken down by negativity. It means being an ‘on purpose’ optimist who commits daily to being a force multiplier through action, movement and repetition of motivational messages and maxims and positive living. What you focus on expands.
Gladiatorial optimists will also take risks, calculated risks that is, and do what is necessary to maintain their conviction and confidence. They are not afraid of setbacks and will adapt accordingly. Gladiatorial optimists are brave and willing to confront harmful thinking.
The world today is full of toxic thinking and so as gladiatorial optimists we have to refuse to give in to the poisonous platitudes echoed by the negative naysayers. Being graceful and brave under fire goes with the territory of being a gladiatorial optimist.
Why bother being optimistic?
Optimism helps us navigate life’s ups and downs by influencing our brain chemistry and stress responses. It sustains our overall well-being and gives us a fighting chance so we fight for it because it can help us.
But staying optimistic will easily be the most difficult job you will ever have to do. The real Colosseum is the one in your headspace. This is where the daily battles take place. You’ll grow accustomed to them and sometimes you will actually enjoy them too!
Essentially, a gladiatorial optimist is a positivity and hope machine, always training their mind to be on top and refusing to lie down or succumb to the contagion of cynicism. They step up, take the rough with the smooth and eliminate toxic influences by being annoyingly upbeat every single day!
Are you not entertained?
Gladiators, I salute you!