Optimist Day is a holiday observed annually on the first Thursday of February. As the name of this day suggests, it’s a day for people to think positive thoughts about their present circumstances and how their future will turn out.

Optimism is merely a way to look at the bright side of a situation, regardless of whether it’s current or past. It’s also a state of mind that is open to the possibility of positive events happening in the future.

Studies have shown that when people are optimistic, they are more likely to be happier, healthier, and more successful. Those things alone are enough reason for everyone to observe this particular holiday.

The History of Optimist Day

Sylvain Levesque was a part of the Optimist Club of Loretteville, Quebec City, and also a member of the National Assembly. He proposed Optimist Day to be observed on the first Thursday of February in 2013.

He chose that date because work begins at the National Assembly during the first week of February. Of course, the idea of holding an Optimist Day predates the creation of this modern version. In 1909, the Optimist Club of America promoted an Optimist Day to be held on April 1st every year.

The purpose of placing this holiday on this date was to replace April Fool’s Day with this holiday. Unfortunately, it just didn’t pan out and didn’t become an official holiday like it did in 2013.

How To Train Yourself To Be More Optimistic

A person simply can’t turn on a switch and become an optimist overnight, especially if they’ve been a lifelong pessimist. However, people can take some steps to move towards a more optimistic attitude over time. We’ve listed some tips on how to do that below.

• “Pretend” to be optimistic. As they say, fake it until you make it.
• Stay away from people with negative attitudes.
• Don’t binge-watch the news. Watch enough to get the information you need and then turn it off.
• Journal your feelings and expectations.
• Acknowledge the things that you cannot control.
• Acknowledge the negative things that occur, but don’t dwell on them.

Observing Optimist Day

During this day, we encourage everyone to try to be more optimistic. How does a person work towards optimism? Well, we think that it starts with people taking the time to change their mindset.

We’ve listed some of the things that people can do to achieve that goal above. We also encourage people to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #OptimistDay on social media.