48 Laws of Selling Power: Are you an Optimist? Your Life Achievements Depend on It

A Time Magazine cover story of May 2011 was on the Optimism Bias phenomenon. In the article the author mentions various benefits of being optimistic including less stress, earning more, save more and better health. This is an interesting article worth reading.

Research by Dr. Martin Seligman (regarded as the father of Positive Psychology ) shows that optimists take more risks, achieve more in their careers , bounce back faster from setbacks, handle losses better and take up new challenges more easily. The research also shows that optimists are more persistent in pursuing a goal, separate personal problems from work issues, miss work less often due to illnesses, produce more and come up with more solutions to problems. In business, sports, politics, academics and science optimists beat the pessimists…………. And they live longer and happier lives!

How would you tell whether you are an optimist or pessimist? It is not as easy as knowing you are introvert and not an extrovert.

Can you change pessimism?

Optimism is more than ‘positive thinking’- seeing glass as half full, seeing the silver lining in every cloud or expecting tomorrow will be better than today. The fundamental of optimism, according Dr. Seligman, is not positive phrases and images of success but about how we explain events in our daily lives. It is not a one-of feeling that something good is about to happen-it is a key component of the operating system running our mind.

Although our pessimism is deeply ingrained in our mindset that we assume that our pessimistic view of the world is reality, much of it can be changed through training and practicing certain techniques of dealing with pessimism. Our optimism/pessimism is a consequence of many factors and only one cannot be changed- our genes. However, it can be managed. People with the ‘optimism gene’ can become pessimistic due to life situations and environment and when this happen they need to know how to get themselves back to optimism.

Why learn Optimism Strategies

Bosses, coaches, teachers, co-workers and parents can make people become pessimistic through their modeling and feedback they give to others. By learning how to cultivate optimisms in those we nurture, supervise and lead we would not only be building more productive people but also people with more enriched lives. It is also essential to learn how we can help our kids, colleagues and friends to deal with and overcome pessimism as many of them are. It may explain the un-started or unfinished projects, depression and achieving less than their great potential allows.

Sam is the author of the Book The Guy Who Fired His Boss, SME Business Growth Strategist, Consultant, Sales Trainer, Entrepreneurial Coach and Entrepreneur. Although Sam has trained and consulted for various large organizations his greatest passion is in helping SMEs businesses achieve success by growing their revenues, profits and cash flows.