Is not what happens, Is how you react to It:

We all want good things to happen to us, however, whether good or bad things occur has to do with what you expect rather than with the events Itselves. With this I'm not saying that you should just wait for fame, riches or well being to come to your door without putting any effort. What I mean is that your body and mind respond to any event according to a combination of what really happened and how you perceive It. So, in this article I will tell you about the benefits that changing the latter part of this equation can bring you, motivating you to adopt a more positive framework in the progress and turning many pointless worries into blessings in disguise. Let's begin:

Why a different Narrative changes our reaction?

Let's put an example where you receive an email that tells you that you have won 1.000.000$ and that It has been deposited to your account. This will surely make you very happy and will give you a spark of dopamine for what destiny has given you. However, Let's twist It a little bit. Again, you receive an email that says that you almost won 100.000.000$ in a contest though you came second place and only received 1.000.000$, now you won't feel as happy as in the first scenario, as your mind will ponder what could have been If you won the first place. Reality hasn't changed, you still have an extra million in your pockets, though the conditions associated to them changed slightly, which has resulted in a total change in your reception of them and your emotional response. This has to due with the expectation effect, which tells us about how our expectations can change our lives, both mentally and physically. It also can be associated in conjunction to the placebo effect and the nocebo effect, the first pointing out that whatever is served or delivered to us shall be good for us and the latter that what we are given is harmful, thus making the basis for different types of mindset to be considered either "positive" or "negative". That's why whatever accident that happens, If seem through different lenses can bring us a valuable lesson or hell on earth, all because of our perception of It.

Now that we know why our mindset and expectations can change how the world affects us, we can begin to talk about some benefits that adopting a positive frame of mind can bring us, like:

Living Longer:

In studies where retired people were asked to describe in a set of words what they considered of ageing, those who responded with adjectives like frail, slow or death turned out to be those who were most likely to die in a shorter period of time, while the ones that talked in terms of freedom, experience, time, grace and many other positive comments had a longer lifespan, showcasing how adopting a different perspective does have a real effect in our health and well being.

More Prone to Success:

Again, in studies where a set of participants were told to describe how they viewed stress, those who responded with statements like "Stress makes you grow" or "Challenge is essential for learning", were the ones that had a higher creativity and the ability to improvise during times of adversity, thus resulting in a better outcome in whatever they did and making them overall more succesful individuals than those who viewed stress with negative connotations. If you look at things, even the harshest of them with a meditative light, you'll be able to overcome them in an easier way and also learn from them.

I hope that this article could have given you some insight as to why keeping a positive mindset actually changes our life for the better, resulting in less headaches, more laughs and even higher chances of you having success in what you choose. That's why I encourage you to change how you view the world and what you get out of It, all so you can become a better version of yourself, beginning first with your mind. Thank you for your support and good luck!