The Birth of an Optimist
Optimists are more successful than pessimists. Helpless pessimists can’t lead. They know things won’t change and loving saying, “It doesn’t matter.”
Real leaders change things. The first change is you.
5 reason for pessimism:
- Feeling controlled by circumstances and others. Life happens to pessimists.
- Believing achievement is like falling off a log. Pessimists want magic pills and quick fixes that provide easy solutions.
- Hanging with pessimists. Darkness exponentially expands in proportion to the darkness around you.
- Waiting for perfect solutions. Pessimists validate the negative present by demanding perfect solutions. “It won’t work.”
- Spiraling around the same negative conversations. Pessimists whine about the same people, circumstances, and problems.
Bonus: Bureaucratic organizations breed pessimism. Think of the person who got slapped down when they tried to make things better. Learned helplessness invites pessimism.
The birth of optimism:
Change focus. Stop focusing on the glorious past and the hoped for future. Focus on today’s work. Visions of success defeat those who aren’t taking action today. “I’ll never get there,” is true, if you don’t do the work today.
Shift thinking. Pessimists wait for others to do something for them. But, the life you want won’t fall from the sky like pixie dust.
The bigger the dream the harder it’s fulfillment. You don’t really believe your dream-life is easy to achieve, do you? Anticipate obstacles, difficulties, and challenges.
Change the narrative. I’m not talking about telling yourself you’re an optimist when you know you’re a dark cloud. That’s just silly. But, words are rudders.
- Ask yourself, “What am I doing to build a preferred future?”
- Ask yourself, “Can I fix this?”
- Have an “I could” conversation instead of “it won’t matter.”
- Talk about what others are doing to overcome challenges instead of pointing out their faults and flaws.
How can leaders develop optimism?
I think you touched on the key (in terms of my life’s path) –Optimists break through when they anticipate obstacles, difficulties and challenges… when you learn to seek these things out and get ahead of them your optimism becomes reality, your leadership respected/demonstrated.
Thanks Ken,
As you have learned, the idea that optimism is pretending things are going to be great and minimizing challenges is unrealistic and silly.
The other downside of minimizing obstacles is leaders appear to be out of touch. Followers can’t trust leaders who minimize problems.
exactly.. we optimists can see through difficulty because we “right size it” not because we minimize it or “blue sky it away”
Speaking of blue sky, Saturday awaits 🙂
Great post, Dan. Even for a natural optimist it is a challenge sometimes to lead toward the light. But we persevere, one success at a time.
Thanks bimuse,
I think I learn about optimism every day.
I could became iCloud … And the rest is history. Great post as usual Dan. I love pessimists who give us so much feedback on things to look for as we continue to pursue excellence.
Thanks Redge,
I hadn’t thought about letting the people who say it can’t be done be the people who point the way toward what can be done.
I concur with Redge, the pessimist can quickly identify hurdles that you should consider crossing on the front end of your project. The pessimist can actually be an asset from this standpoint. Just be sure to be strong in your resolve; it takes the optimist to make a new vision happen.
Oopsie, here we go again Dan. Lol
For me this is backwards or sideways!!
Optimism produces results, pessimism produces results.
Results like happy and not happy.
Since there seem to be more unhappy people, seems pessimist’s are more successful delivering their agreed upon goal. Right?
All change starts one and only one place. Thoughts. One can disagree with this, everyone can have their own opinion but not their own facts. Fact is with the human brain thoughts come first.
Want change, understand how. Change your thoughts, string them together, take action on them with repetition and get results. Now I said result, not got what you wanted. Result.
Then ponder the result and see if your combination of thoughts, words and deeds is bringing u what you desire. If so repeat ad nausiem. If not adjust.
Geraldine says what you see is what you get. What you see is what YOU decide to tell yourself about you are thinking about.
Most people I find are unaware of the supreme responsibilty that comes with ones own thoughts. It’s the whole ball game. Others do not want the responsibility of their own thoughts and go through life telling themselves they are victims. So unaware or running away!! Lol
Neither case changes the truth, I am what I think. Everything else follows the thoughts.
Don’t like that, me???? No biggie!!!
For Christians I think it says, as he Thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs I think.
So if you are Christian and don’t like this take it up with Jesus.
So change is an internal thought job.
Only place I have found to start. Think you will find the same.
Have a great weekend Dan.
I Concur!
Shifterp back to thinking Now!!!!
I think that what you are saying looks like. ;O)
http://goo.gl/okIwjK
God bless
Kymee
Kymee what a wonderful heartfelt video. Fruits of our labor!!! Cool!! Thank you.
In turn for your kindness I would share a treasure of a video with you.
You want to see fruits?? What this man is doing is a flat out stone cold miracle.
I watched your video, am better for it and shared feedback with you about it. Hope you do the same but ok if you don’t.
Google Bob Chapman. Defining Moments. Youtube and see a miracle in motion. An AMAZING ongoing stone cold miracle. Watch it, see if you think I am fibbing!!!!! Feedback would be cool!!!
Thank you again for what your spirit shared with mine. Hope to return the gesture.
Scott
Will do. ;o)
Thanks Scott,
It all seems circular to me.
Well circular is certainly cool, right? Blood flows circularly through our bodies? Orbit circular? Earth circular as far as our perceptions allows us to see!!
Spirit, mind, body!!!!
Thoughts, actions, feelings!!!
Yeah I get circular, but more importantly Dan, what does seeming circular mean to you? Good, bad, indifferent? Stupid, crazy, wrong? Right, correct, brilliant??? Inquiring minds want to know!!! Lol.
That is what is interesting, what do you think?
SP back to now!!!!
Pessimist can make do all this better if they surround themselves with optimists that they trust. ;O)
Thanks Kymee,
The people we surround ourselves with impact our lives.
We are the company we keep. Bad company corrupts good character.
Dan I Love Your Language. Very visual descriptions and so easy to get the message accross.
“The bigger the dream the harder it’s fulfillment. You don’t really believe your dream-life is easy to achieve, do you?”
I believe it is easy. By just staying true to who you are. By fighting for who you are and by being who you are. This creates an environment where things fall into place.
I think it takes attitude, trust in ones ability and strength to face ones vulnerabilities?
Maybe I am wrong…?
Reblogged this on Movers, Shakers, Leadership Makers.
Reblogged this on Movers, Shakers, Leadership Makers.
I found this post to be disappointing. Pessimism and optimism are points of view, and both provide perspective that is useful in problem solving. Both have strengths and blindspots. The points made here were somewhat shallow and stereotypic, how is that useful?
One can always look at a the glass half empty or half full. It’s a choice.