Choose Optimism

Lots of folk think that optimism is a personality trait – a way of being that you’re either born with or you’re not. In fact, optimism can be actively learnt and encouraged.

Of course, there is absolutely no rule that says you have to be optimistic. But it does happen to be linked to a whole lot of good stuff like: increased wellbeing, higher life-satisfaction, less distress, greater adaptivity, more effective coping, and even enhanced physical experiences. Super!

If you’re keen to enhance your own optimism, here’s a great place to start: Consider your explanatory style, or the way you make sense of difficult experiences.

An example? Say you apply for a job and you aren’t successful. How do you explain this experience to yourself?

+ Pessimists

Pessimists tend to centre their explanations around Three Ps:

• Personal – it’s because of me: I was late for the interview because I stupidly decided to drive
• Permanent – things will always be like this: I messed up the interview, I’ll never get a better job
• Pervasive – there’s a global explanation that affects everything: I’m bad at interviews, I’m bad at everything

+ Optimists

In contrast, Optimists tend to centre their explanations around factors that are:

• External – it wasn’t about me: I was late because the traffic was bad
• Transient – things can change: Maybe I’ll do better next time
• Specific – there’s a specific explanation for what happened: I didn’t do well because I hadn’t prepared the right questions

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If you can see any of the 3 Pessimistic Ps in action, you might like to adopt the corresponding Optimistic alternative. And the perhaps get curious, about how adopting an alternative view helps shift your experience.

Tags: career-coaching, life-coaching, Melbourne