The Secret Pessimists Don’t Want You to Know
Signs of Hope in the Paper
I love the Sunday paper. It’s the one day where I have the time to go through the entire paper and actually read whole articles. This morning The Arizona Republic’s front page headline: Land Purchases a SIGN OF LIFE: Builders buying empty parcels for development as housing industry regroups. Turns out home builders have spent $90 Million on land purchases in Metro Phoenix since January.
WOW. This is good news.
Then, also on the front page: ‘Inland Port’ a vision for jobs, growth in Arizona.
So, I’m feeling pretty optimistic when I read these articles. Should I? Or am I just kidding myself?
Self Fulfilling Prophecies?
There’s a funny thing I’ve noticed over the years of economic ups and downs.
When things are really good a flood of media pundits start telling us why it won’t last. They create huge FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) and pretty soon, a whole bunch of us start thinking this way and we change our behavior … thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Then when things do go in the tank, there are articles in papers, magazines, and blogs, hours of TV and radio coverage of how bad it is, how it’s probably going to get worse and those who think otherwise are deluded. This coverage causes us to really hunker down and the whole darn nation becomes emotionally depressed.
Over time people get tired of hearing about how bad it is and tune out the noise. As readership and viewers decline, the media starts seeing and reporting on signs of optimism. Readership and viewers tune back in, start feeling better, change their behavior again. And again, self-fulfilling prophecy.
How to Avoid This Cycle
I keep wondering how as individuals we can avoid this cycle. Every study I’ve seen or heard about says that optimistic people are happier, healthier, more successful, have better relationships, live longer, and on and on and on.
Optimists also tend to experience less stress than pessimists or realists. Because they believe in themselves and their abilities, they expect good things to happen. They see negative events as minor setbacks to be overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things to come. Believing in themselves, they also take more risks and create more positive events in their lives.
Optimistic people also have more friends and a larger social network on which they can rely during crises; they also tend to cope better on their own with stress.
In writing about optimism, you face the danger of being seen as advocating a “Pollyanna” or quixotic approach. The truth is, however, optimism has been proven to be a powerful tool that will pay dividends for your personal life and give you a competitive advantage professionally in your career. There is a lot to be gained, indeed, in cultivating an optimistic outlook.
Optimism in the Work Place
Many companies specifically look to hire optimistic employees, especially for leadership positions. In The Leadership Advantage Warren Bennis tells us that optimism is one of the key things people need from their leaders in order to achieve positive results. Every “exemplary leader that I have met,” writes Bennis, “has what seems to be an unwarranted degree of optimism – and that helps generate the energy and commitment necessary to achieve results.”
There are other areas which are impacted positively by optimism. Take sales, for example: A study shows that new sales personnel at Metropolitan Life who scored high on a test on optimism sold 37 percent more life insurance in their first two years than pessimists (Seligman, 1990).
Optimism is something you can learn … it’s a way of approaching your life … try it for a while.
And, if you’re serious about developing greater optimism, there is no better book than Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Dr Martin E Seligman. Learn Dr Seligman’s ABCDE model for disputing pessimistic thoughts. This is a very useful and powerful tool to help you change the way you explain events that trouble you from pessimistic to optimistic.
Three Things to Do Next
1. Comment: Have you noticed this self fulfilling prophecy? Do you have a story where optimism rewarded your life?
2. Share this story The Secret Pessimists Don’t Want You to Know: If you like this post it on your blog or site: You may help some of your visitors
3. Stop the Cycle: If you know someone who is in this cycle, find a way to cheer them up. Every little bit helps.
image courtesy of Dave Wilson Photography
