The Dalai Lama said “If you don’t like what’s happening in your life, change your mind.”

What you see when you look at a half glass of water could make a difference in your daily health and how long you live.
So say the results of a new study that tracked 839 people over 30 years. In the 1960s, study participants took a standardized test to determine whether they were optimistic, pessimistic or somewhere in between. Those who scored high on the pessimism scale turned out to have a 19 percent greater chance of premature death than those who scored more optimistically.

There are at least four ways that optimism can affect healthy aging:
·Optimists tend to be less passive and less likely to develop negative responses to things that happen to them.
·Optimists tend to be more likely to practice preventive health measures because they believe their actions make a difference.
·Optimists suffer depression at a lower rate than pessimists; depression is associated with mortality.
·Optimists' immune systems function more effectively than those of pessimists.

Self Evaluation:
Optimists see setbacks as specific, temporary and changeable, and are therefore motivated to take action. Non-optimists tend to look at setbacks as general, permanent and hopeless, symptoms of widespread failure that cannot be changed.
For example, an optimist who didn't follow through on an exercise routine for a week might say, " I'll have to do better next week."
A pessimist in the same situation might say, "I have no self-discipline so exercise just isn't for me."

Mood has an influence on whether optimistic or pessimistic thoughts dominate your brain. Three methods optimistic people tend to use to lift their moods:
·Alternative thinking
When bad things happen, optimists tend to take them less personally and come up with multiple alternatives for why they might have happened, then work actively to fix the situation.
·Downward comparison
Though it sounds unkind, optimists compare themselves to others who are in worse situations as a way to brighten their own spirits.
·Relaxation
Optimists tend to use exercise, yoga, and even "putting on a happy face" as ways to relax and thereby improve their moods.
SO...take a good look at your half glass, you may be able to change your mind,impact your health and stay well longer.