The Good Daisy Guide To Optimism

G>The Good Daisy
Guide To Optimism
Barney Ma tthews
GOOD DAISY GUIDE TO OPTIMISM
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FORWARD
Every day is a whole new day and you can choose to have
a good daisy. What this means is every morning when you
wake up you get a fresh start. It doesnt matter what
happened yesterday, today is a blank canvas and you can
make the choice to have a good day.
A question I get asked on a regular basis is how come you
are always so optimistic. I wish could be like that too.
The answer is really simple I choose to be optimistic. I make
a decision every morning that I am going to be optimistic,
I choose to have a good daisy - and I work to make it happen
every day. I should point out that I am not optimistic 100% of
the time. Everyone has their ups and downs, thats part of
life, its just that people who are optimists dont stay down
for very long. Optimists believe that every day may not be
good but there is good in every day.
The good news however is that anyone can become more
optimistic. It is something you have to work on daily. You
cant just read a book on optimism and become permanently
optimistic. In fact even if you are a naturally optimistic person
you still need to work on being optimistic every day. It is well
worth the effort however.
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Studies have shown that:
Optimistic people live longer lives.
Optimistic workplaces outperform negative ones.
Optimistic salespersons sell more than pessimistic

ones.
Optimistic leaders are able to make better decisions

under pressure.
Optimistic thoughts and emotions counter the

negative effects of stress.
Optimistic emotions like gratitude and appreciation

help athletes perform better.
Optimistic people have more friends (which is a key

to living a long life.)
Optimistic leaders are more likely to get the support

of others and receive raises and promotions
The Good Daisy Guide to Optimism is split in to 2 sections.

The first half explains some practical ideas any one can use to
be more optimistic. The second half is a 30-day plan to help
you introduce these ideas in to your daily life so become
more optimistic in an achievable way.
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My sincere hope is that this guide will help you become more
optimistic and have more good daisys.
Barney Matthews.
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START YOUR DAY RIGHT

The first step to being optimistic is to start the day right.
How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of the day.
If you get off to a good start you are far more likely to have
a good day (or a good daisy as I like to call it).
Start your day by getting some positive input. Read
something positive, inspiring or educational. It doesnt have
to be about optimism. It has to be something you find to be
positive, inspiring, or constructive though.
Make it a point to read at least one positive thing early
on in your day. I check these blogs out daily and email
myself the really good blog posts for posterity.
Some of the best positive blogs out there are:
Barney.me - www.barney.me
Change your thoughts - www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/
Lifehack.org - www.lifehack.org/
Marc and Angel - www.marcandangel.com
Pickthebrain - www.pickthebrain.com
Positivity blog - www.positivityblog.com
Upgrade Reality - www.upgradereality.com
Zen Habits - www.zenhabits.net
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Limit your exposure to negative inputs. One of the worst

sources of negative input is TV news - they show almost
exclusively bad news. Its not to say you should stick your
head in the sand and become ignorant to what is going on in
the world, just be selective about what news you read. News
aggregations sites like Google News (news.google.com) or
Yahoo News (news.yahoo.com) are great because you can
choose to learn about the stock market and politics without
exposing yourself to negative news that wont give you any
benefit.
Avoid spending time with negative people. Jim Rohn said
you are the average of the 5 people we spend the most
time with. If you hang around with people who are always
complaining it will rub off on you and affect your positivity. If
you can, just avoid spending time with them. If you have to
spend time with them because they are family or colleagues,
when they start being negative offer positive alternatives to
their perspective or change the subject to something more
positive.
Exercise early on in the day. Get those endorphins flowing.
Endorphins will give you a natural boost and make you feel
great. Studies have shown that endorphins start flowing after
just 7 minutes of exercise? I can always find time for
10 minutes of exercise and I makes me feel good.
Search the internet for 10 minute workouts - there are lots.
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Choose to have a good day. One of the reasons you can

choose to have a good day is because we see what we
look for. Our 5 senses pick up millions of inputs every day. If
we had to consciously process all those inputs it would
overwhelm our brains. So there is a part of the brain called
the reticular activating system. It filters all those inputs for us.
How does it do that? By only showing us what we were
expecting to see. Our expectations are the engines for our
perception.
How does this apply to having a good day and being happy?
Well if you make the decision at the start of the day that
today is going to be good, you will see things that prove
that expectation. William Shakespeare said it is neither good
nor bad but thinking makes it so. You interpret events to be
good or bad.
Making the choice to have a good day is probably the most
important factor in having a good day and being optimistic.
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SELF-TALK
The next step in being optimistic is self-talk. The more our
mind hears something the more it believes it to be true. If
you believe it to be true then you act will like it. This is how
brainwashing and propaganda work. If you inundate
someone with an idea eventually they will start to believe it.
The good news is this can be used for good as well as bad.
The average person is thought to have about 20,000
thoughts a day. Even if 90% of those thoughts were ones you
needed to keep you safe driving and doing other tasks
throughout the day that still leaves 2,000 opportunities to
alter your patterns of thinking everyday.
Pause for a moment and think about what you tell
yourself on a regular basis. Are you saying I cant do that, I
cant do that, I cant do that. Are you saying I dont like this,
I dont like this, I dont like this. Guess what, if you keep
telling yourself these things they will inevitably become true.
The good news is you can change these thoughts.
Start being aware of what you are telling yourself and
when you hear yourself saying negative, unhelpful, things tell yourself to STOP. Literally say the word stop in your
head. Then pause for 3 seconds. Finally, think about the
outcome you want, the positive outcome, and start saying
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that to yourself. Tell yourself I can do that, I can do that,

I can do that. Tell yourself I like this, I like this, I like this.
The more you tell yourself these things the more they will
come true. Stick at it and slowly but surely it will start to make
a difference.
The other way of using self-talk is to have mantras or
affirmations. Pick two or three things that you want to
become true. Write them out as if they are already true.
Frame them in terms of what you want, not what you dont
want. For example, rather than saying I will become more
confident talking to leaders at work say I am confident
talking to leaders at work.
Repeat the mantra yourself every time you wash your hands.
This technique works well for several reasons. First, it is
easiest to start a new habit if you attach it to an existing one.
Second, saying your mantras in the bathroom allows you to
look in the mirror and say them to yourself out loud. It really
works. You have to get into the habit and do it regularly but it
really does make a difference.
If you practice optimistic self-talk you can brainwash your
self in to being optimistic.
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ATTITUDE
Your attitude is deeply intertwined with your optimism. The
dictionary defines attitude as the way a person views
something or tends to behave towards it. The first thing to
know is that your attitude is a choice. You choose to have a
positive attitude (or a negative one). You can't control what
happens to you but you can control how you react to it. You
can choose to be optimistic.
Before you start out doing anything decide what the
outcome you want to happen is and tell yourself you can
do it. If you start out thinking you can do something you will
try harder and you will keep trying until you are successful.
How many times do you start out thinking you can't do
something or that it will be really hard or not fun? Well your
attitude is like a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you start out
thinking optimistically about the outcome your chances of
success are considerably higher. Make the decision at the
beginning that you will be able to do it, that it will be fun,
that you will have the outcome you really want.
I truly believe that people are capable of doing anything they
put their mind to - it's just a matter of time and resources.
The biggest limitation in what we can do is how much we
think we can actually do. We will only do as much as we
think we can - and no more. Most people think they can do
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far less than they actually can - so they do far less than they
are actually capable of.
This is true with everything in life. Whatever you think you can
do, will be the limitation on what you try. Most people set
their sights too low - and thats all they achieve. They think
they can do less than they actually can. This is what holds
most people back from achieving their full potential.
Personally, I tell myself that I can do anything. I may have
limits to what I can achieve but I dont let what I think I can
do hold me back from achieving what I am actually capable
of. The next time you are trying to do something, remember
the Michael Jordan quote limits like fears are often just an
illusion. What you are actually capable of is likely far more
than you think. Dont let your self-imposed limitations stop
you from achieving what you are actually capable of.
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OUTLOOK
The next factor that contributes to our optimism is our
outlook. We see what we look for. We see what we expect to
see. So choose to look for the good. Choose to look for the
good in people. Choose to look for the good in situations.
Lets do a quick experiment. I want you to look around the
room and count all the red things you can see. OK, now tell
me how many green things there are! You probably cant.
Your brain ignored the green things your eyes saw because
they werent relevant at the time.
Every person has a good side. Why not focus on their
strengths? Remember what your Mum used to say - if you
don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.
Choose to compliment or keep quiet.
Choose to have a good day (or "have a good daisy" as I like
to call it.) At the beginning of the day decide that today is
going to be a good day. If you do this then at the end of the
day when you thinking about your day you will focus on the
good parts of the day not the less good parts. In the words of
William Shakespeare It is neither good nor bad but thinking
makes it so.
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If a situation doesnt turn out as you might hoped for,

think about what you learned, think about what you might be
able to do instead, realize that it could have been worse and
there is someone in the world who would gladly swap places
with you.
Choose to be grateful. As the old proverb says if you count
your blessings you will always show a profit. Everyday may
not be good but there is good in everyday. At the end of
every day reflect on what you are grateful for. Share it at the
dinner table. Write in a gratitude journal. Send yourself a
daily gratitude email.
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30-DAY PLAN
Youve read the ideas than can help with optimism, now how
can you apply it to your life? As with any change you want to
make, its best to do so in incremental steps. If you try to
make big, drastic changes your chances of success are slim.
If you make changes in incremental steps your chances of
success are much better. I have created a 30-day plan to
follow to help you become more optimistic.
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WEEK 1: START YOUR DAY RIGHT

Week 1 of the 30-day optimism plan is about getting your
day off to a good start. If your day starts well then it is far
easier to be optimistic throughout the day.
MONDAY:
Make a list of the positive materials you have

access to already. Pick one of those and read it for
10 minutes in the morning.
TUESDAY:
Read (or listen or watch) something positive for

WEDNESDAY:
Identify one negative person and decide how you will

limit their impact on you.
THURSDAY:
Read, listen or watch something positive for

Decide how you will find something positive to read each

morning. Will you subscribe to blogs, read part of a book,
listen to part of an audio book, look for videos on the
internet?
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FRIDAY:
Avoid TV news, instead get your news from the internet.
Decide what you are going to do for exercise in the

morning.
SATURDAY:

Do some exercise in the morning.
SUNDAY:

Continue to get your news from the internet.
Do some exercise in the morning.
Congratulations on completing week 1 of the

30-day optimism plan.
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WEEK 2: SELF-TALK
Week 2 of the 30 day optimism plan is becoming aware of
what you say to yourself. Also to continue to start your day
right.
MONDAY:
Start your day right.
Start thinking about what you are saying to yourself.

Notice when you say unhelpful, negative things to
yourself.
TUESDAY:
When you notice yourself saying negative things to

yourself, tell yourself to STOP, then repeat to yourself
what you want to happen.
WEDNESDAY:

THURSDAY:
Write out 2 mantras. Write them out as if they were

already true.
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FRIDAY:
Start saying your mantras to yourself every time you wash

your hands.
SATURDAY:
Say your mantras to yourself every time you wash your

hands.
SUNDAY:

Say your mantras to yourself every time you wash your

hands.

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WEEK 3: ATTITUDE
Week 3 of the 30 day optimism plan is choosing a positive
attitude. Also continue to start your day right, be aware of
what you say to yourself and repeat your mantras.
MONDAY:
Start your day right and be aware of your self-talk.
Start becoming aware of what you think the outcome is

going to be when you start out.
TUESDAY:
Start your day right and concentrate on your self-talk.
As you become aware of what you think the outcome is

going to be, change it to be someone more positive.
WEDNESDAY:
Write yourself a reminder that you can do anything and

post it somewhere you will see it.
THURSDAY:
Read your reminder that you can do anything to out

loud to yourself.
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FRIDAY:
Focus on what you want, not what you dont want.
SATURDAY:
SUNDAY:
Continue making sure that when you start doing

something you think that the outcome is will be favorable.

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WEEK 4: OUTLOOK
Week 4 of the 30-day optimism plan is to start looking for
good. Also continue to start your day right, be aware of what
you say to yourself and continue to choose a positive attitude.
MONDAY:
Start your day right, concentrate on your self-talk and

choose a positive attitude.
Pick someone you arent very keen on and think of one

good thing about them.
TUESDAY:

Think of one good thing about every person you interact

with today.
WEDNESDAY:

Whenever a situation doesnt turn out the way you would

have liked, complete this sentence at least...
THURSDAY:


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FRIDAY:

Write yourself a reminder that every day may not be

good but there is good in every day and post it
somewhere you will see it.
SATURDAY:

Read your reminder that every day may not be good but
there is good in every day to yourself.
SUNDAY:

Think of one good thing about every person you interact

with.

Think of 1 thing you are grateful for and write it down or

tell someone.

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WEEK 5: PLAN
Week 5 of the 30-day optimism plan is about making
optimism a long term, sustainable part of your life. Pick the 2
or 3 ideas that have really resonated with you from this ebook
and make them in to habits you repeat daily. For more
information on habits see www.barney.me.
MONDAY:
Identify the 2 or 3 ideas that resonated with you.

Write them on sticky notes.
TUESDAY:
Identify some triggers for the 2 or 3 ideas you wrote

down.
Practice doing the ideas today with the triggers.
WEDNESDAY:
Continue doing the ideas when you get the trigger.
Create a chart and track your daily progress.
THURSDAY:
Track your daily progress on the chart.
FRIDAY:
Tweak your idea if necessary to make it sustainable.
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SATURDAY:
SUNDAY:
Notice how much more optimistic you are now than

30 days ago!
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AUTHORS NOTE
I started my journey of personal development several years
ago now. Early on I did a lot of soul searching and came up
with my own 3 rules for life. At the time these rules were
simply ones that resonated with me. These rules were meant
to help me live my life in a way I thought was good.
Reflecting on them later, my 3 rules for life all help with
my optimism.
BARNEYS 3 RULES FOR LIFE:
THINK CAN. My first rule is that I can do anything. To quote
Henry Ford Whether you think you can, or whether you think
you cannot, you are right. I use this rule when starting out
with anything or if I am finding something challenging. I truly
believe that your attitude is like a self-fulfilling prophecy if
you start out thinking you can do something your chances of
success are infinitely greater. You need to adopt an optimistic
attitude.
SEE GOOD. My next rule is that I see good in people and
situations. John Lubbock said What we see depends greatly
on what you look for. I use this rule after an event or when
dealing with people. No matter what happens, I choose to
see the good in the situation. There is a saying every day
may not be good, but there is good in every day. This is so
true. No matter how bad something is, you can always find
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something good in it. You just need to look for it. No person
is all bad, if you take the time to look for the good in them,
you will always find it. When dealing with people, I get on
better with them, and get more from them by seeing the
good in them. I am optimistic about people and situations
and I am happier for it. If this doesnt help me have a good
daisy then nothing will.
BE KIND. My final rule is that I am kind. This is probably my
most important rule. I wholeheartedly believe in reciprocity.
Every thing you do really does come back to you. If you sow
kindness, you will reap kindness. People who you think least
deserve kindness are probably the ones who need it most.
Being kind doesnt mean being weak, but it does mean not
being nasty. If you have to do something bad to someone
like chastising them, at least do it nicely.
I have been following these rules for many years now and I
believe my life has been happier and more successful as a
result. I believe they have helped me be more optimistic.
I have shared ideas on how you can become more optimistic
and have a good daisy. My sincere hope is that you have
found at least one nugget in this guide. I hope this nugget
will help you become more optimistic, I hope it will help you
be happier, I hope it will help you have a good daisy.
Barney Matthews. November 2014.
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2014
Barney Matthews
www.gooddaisy.com | www.barney.me
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G>The Good Daisy

GOOD DAISY GUIDE TO OPTIMISM

GOOD DAISY GUIDE TO OPTIMISM

GOOD DAISY GUIDE TO OPTIMISM

Studies have shown that:

Optimistic people live longer lives.

Optimistic workplaces outperform negative ones.

Optimistic salespersons sell more than pessimistic

Optimistic leaders are able to make better decisions

Optimistic thoughts and emotions counter the

Optimistic emotions like gratitude and appreciation

Optimistic people have more friends (which is a key

Optimistic leaders are more likely to get the support