The emotional turmoil has completely shattered both these people equally. Both of them are undergoing stressful separations from their respective long-term marital relationships. Consider the following example:Ī and B are two individuals of the same age and background. Optimism is all about how we perceive things. It is a personality pattern that displays resilience and personal strength. The word “optimism” comes from the Latin word optimum, meaning “the best.” In psychology, optimism or dispositional optimism is a set of beliefs and traits that help individuals reflect on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative ones. Optimists have a built-in attitude to be hopeful and consider the possibilities of good things happening in life. If optimism is a natural strength for you, think about how you can use or develop it in new and different ways to strengthen and stretch it so that you and others benefit from its use more widely.A popular metaphor to explain optimism is the concept of ”glass half full.” What positive and productive ideas do you have about overcoming or managing the situation? Which aspects of this are in your control? What new beliefs or thinking can you have about your situation?
What are the opportunities presented to you, the team and the organisation by the present situation? What are the advantages associated with the situation? Instead of travelling down the pathway of negative thinking about the situation, consider how you can reframe it: Think about a challenging or difficult situation you are facing. Optimism is essentially a muscle that you can build and strengthen by examining new ways of interpreting and thinking about events. The good news is, that if optimistic thinking does not come naturally to you, it is a style that you can practice and cultivate. “My positivity is infectious and people buy in to what I am saying… I help people see that they can make a difference by looking at what has worked for them in the past. I am typically upbeat and don’t stay down for long… I just look for the learning that I can take out of the situation…there is always an upside and something good that can surface from a negative event.” “Even when I am going through a tough period, I always feel that things will work out somehow. You look for the positive when things go wrong, rather than focusing on the negative You expect to do well in challenging situations with a high risk of failure You don’t let isolated negative events affect your positive view of the world If you do have this in your top 7, it’s highly likely that it shows up in one or more of these ways: Our tool Strengthscope® actually measures the strength of optimism and the extent to whether this is an underlying quality that energises you and whether it is one of your significant 7 strengths. In our work, we define the strength of Optimism as being about “remaining positive and upbeat about the future and your ability to influence it to your advantage.” People who have this as a significant strength tend to look first for what is right in people, situations, plans and projects and tend to hold a belief that in the vast majority of cases, things will work out for the best. Recent research also highlights that an optimistic mindset and attitude can spread to others like a positive contagion causing a positive ripple effect to teams, departments, organisations and communities. Research tells us that it can lengthen your life, determine how you overcome life’s obstacles, build resilience and manage the risks of developing depressive disorders and other mental health issues. There are many benefits to having a more optimistic mindset. In the face of such uncertainty and in some cases serious adversity, remaining optimistic, can sometimes feel impossible, challenging or even insincere.
In the last few years, recent events such as the economic downturn, global conflict, war and the outbreak of disease has tested many a self proclaimed optimist’s ability to remain positive and upbeat.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
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