
From the point of view of an individual person, being optimistic helps people become more resilient.
This is difficult for some people like me who are naturally a glass half empty rather than a glass half full person. My life experiences have driven me away from being optimistic so I need to work at being optimistic and that can be a struggle:
But
Optimism van be worked upon and learnt. First of all you need to believe your own actions can make a difference to the outcome of a problem.
If you believe this then you are on the way to being an optimist.
You can make a difference!
We always have a choice on how we react to crises.
Research has shown that optimists live longer and perform better at work.
There are simple things we can do.
Firstly we can note all the good things that have happened to us during the day and reacting well to new situations. We can also learn to be lucky.
How can we do this?
Optimists believe they can succeed and make a difference and in social interactions, people much prefer to deal with optimists rather than pessimists. The latter is incontrovertible!
That is not to say that optimists don't fail but they bounce back better from any failure than pessimists do. They are also more open and supportive of the team they work with!
So what is optimism?
It is influenced by the external environment but not imposed by it. Much of it depends on your own state-of belief.
Luck does affect certain people but it is often a function of perseverance and not giving in. It also means having alternative strategies to achieve your goals.
How many times have you looked at so called overnight sensations only to find out that for years they have been trying to be successful.
In the Vietnam war those prisoners who gave themselves designated release dates which were not met, descended into helplessness and just gave up.
Those prisoners who didn't see the facts of their imprisonment failed.
It is never good to have unfounded optimism but to deal with the real challenges as they occur.
We always have the choice of how to react to situations. Let's develop a culture of being grateful for the good things we have.
We need to be smart about the actual and virtual company we keep so as we are not infected by the bug of pessimism.
Being lucky can boil down to the following:
1 Persisting with things and if necessary finding another way
2. Practicing different methods until you achieve success
3. Perspective or taking and making chances and opportunities
All the above approaches will contribute to you being luckier than you would otherwise have been!
An optimist:
Offers answers not questions to problems
Steps up to actively tackle challenges
Listens to colleagues and acts on their advice
Responds positively and thanks people for their contributions
Peoplewill remember how you act in a crisis as well as what you do.
In Summary
Optimism can be learnt therefore:
Recall all the good things you have done or what have happened to you in yhe day.
Focus on what you can do to change things. You may have to be realistic about rhis!
Manage your world. Choose your actual and virtual activity very carefully. Negative pessimistic people can make you worse!
Practice being lucky by employing persistence and practice in what you do. Don't give up easily and practice different methods and solutions to problems
Take advantage of opportunities
Offer solutions not further problems
Explore alternative responses to challenges.
These are the ideas which drive an optimistic approach and it is recognised that it may be difficult for many people, including me to adapt to those ideas.
If we want to be more resilient on an individual level we need to be more optimistic.
Let's ensure that our approach can change things for the better.
If we create positive and optimistic conditions for our team and ourselves we will be more resilient!
Yhe journey itself is possible but challenging.
Let's meet the challenges!
Let's believe we can make a difference and that will make us more optimistic and more resilient.
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