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December 2010 - Optimism
- Got Optimism? Take This Quiz and Find Out
- 7 Ways to Optimize Your Optimism
- Resources (links, books, articles, the lighter side)
December
2010 - Optimism
Most years, our December article is about fun in the workplace. This year, we take a slightly different twist with an article on optimism, which if practiced, makes every single day a good day.
Guest author: Tom Terez
Got Optimism? Take This Quiz and Find Out
For each numbered item below, score a 1 if you AGREE with the statement — and a 0 if you DISAGREE.
Total your numbers for all ten statements to come up with a final score ranging from 0 to 10.
- People make their own luck.
- Hard work pays off.
- Honesty really is the best policy.
- Tough times are temporary.
- Challenges bring out the best in people.
- There is much to be grateful for.
- The world is generally a friendly place.
- My co-workers are capable people.
- I have control over my future.
- My best days are ahead of me.
If you score a perfect 10, set up shop as an optimism coach. You’ve got what it takes!
If you score between 7 and 9, you are a strong optimist as well and it’s likely you strengthen the attitudes of people around you. Keep it up.!
If you end up with a score ranging from 4 to 6, you are on the fence, tipping between optimism and pessimism. And, you have enough of a positive perspective to make further progress. Be more conscious of your response to daily situations. Avoid generalizing situations as "all bad" or personalizing them as "my fault." See the article directly below for important advice.
If you rate from 0 to 3, well, there’s work to be done. Read the next article for positive ideas and start taking action right away.
7 Ways to Optimize Your Optimism
Some people seem wired for optimism; most of us have to work at it. Here are seven ways to be realistically positive no matter what comes your way:
1. Appreciate and activate your strengths. You have real skills, rich life experiences and a reservoir of good intention. Put all of it to work every day.
2. Opt for a partial solution when perfection isn’t possible. It’s always better to make some progress than to endure life as a chronically frustrated perfectionist.
3. Imagine success before it unfolds. Follow the lead of successful athletes. Before you take on a challenging situation, picture yourself dealing with it in a winning way.
4. Act yourself into a new way of thinking. I t sounds a bit backward, but it works. Pretend to be positive, carry yourself with confidence, communicate an upbeat message — and those behaviors will start shaping your attitude.
5. Talk about what’s going right. Even in the most dysfunctional environments, good things happen. Start spotting those success stories and make them the focus of your conversations.
6. Put problems in perspective. Too much thinking can drag us down, especially when we generalize ("I’m no good with numbers"), catastrophize ("If I don’t make this next sale, I’m going to lose my job") or personalize ("It was all my fault"). Learn to recognize these distorted interpretations and replace them with a view of the situation that’s scaled down to fit reality.
7. Do what you can instead of dwelling on what you can’t. There’s so much to be concerned about these days. Try to accept what you can’t change, but work like heck in those many situations where you can make a difference.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tom Terez (TomTerez.com) is an international consultant and frequent speaker on organizational performance (BetterWorkplaceNow.com) and personal excellence (InnerBest.com). Copyright © 2007-2010 Tom Terez Workplace Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
Internet Resources
- Associated Press news November 30, 2010 "Optimism for '11 pushes consumer confidence higher"
- Better Workplace Now: www.betterworkplacenow.com
- The Benefits of Optimism http://stress.about.com/od/optimismspirituality/a/optimismbenefit.htm
- Learned Optimism http://www.shearonforschools.com/learned_optimism.htm
- Psychology Today (many articles on optimism) http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/optimism
- This Is Your Brain on Optimism: New research reveals the biological roots of positive thinking. How a rosy outlook can affect your health. http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/23/this-is-your-brain-on-optimism.html
- Intervention: Learned Optimism (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6loWc55YTM
- Happiness is contagious in social networks http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/05/happiness.social.network/index.html
- Reasons for Optimism http://www.reasonsforoptimism.com/
- Health Study: Optimists Live Longer http://www.livescience.com/health/041101_optimist_heart.html
- The Case for Optimism http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/09_34/B4144optimism.htm
- Optimism Quiz http://stress.about.com/library/optimismquiz/bl_15optimism_quiz.htm
- Another Optimism Quiz: Half-Full or Half-Empty? http://www.testcafe.com/opt/
- Happiness, Hope and Optimism http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/happy.htm
- Five Reasons for Optimism http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/17/five-reasons-for-optimis
- Optimism - being optimistic is easy http://www.more-selfesteem.com/optimism.htm
- Study: Optimistic Women Live Longer http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1883402,00.html
- Notes from the Universe http://www.tut.com/resources/notes/ (daily inspirational reminders of your power, life's magic and how special you are)
- The Daily Motivator http://greatday.com/motivate/ (daily reminders).
Books - Disclosure:
We get a small commission for purchases made via links to Amazon.
- The Optimism Advantage: 50 Simple Truths to Transform Your Attitudes and Actions into Results. Terry L. Paulson. Wiley, 2010. ISBN-10: 0470554754 ISBN-13: 978-0470554753
- Creating Optimism. Bob Murray and Alicia Fortinberry. McGraw-Hill, 2005. ISBN-10: 0071446834 ISBN-13: 978-0071446839
- The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience. Martin E.P. Seligman. Mariner Books, 2007. ISBN-10: 0618918094 ISBN-13: 978-0618918096
- Transforming Your Dragons: Turning Personality Fear Patterns into Personal Power. Jose Stevens. Bear & Co; (July 1994) ISBN: 1879181177
- Income Without a Job: Living Well Without a Paycheck. Michael Jay Anthony, Barbara J. Taylor. Lulu.com, 2008 ISBN-13: 978-0-557-00377-8. Website: www.income-without-a-job.com. Tap into your own creativity and use your full potential. Learn how to see opportunities that others miss.
Articles
Related newsletter article:
December 2009 - The 10 Commandments of
a Happy Work Life
May 2007 - The Law of Attraction at
Work
May 2008 - Work-Life Balance: A
Conspiracy of Optimism
April 2009 - The Good News!
October 2005 - Great Management and
Leadership
September 2004 - Stress Busters:
Managing Stress in the Workplace
The Lighter Side- People come into your life for a reason (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLltt5cPDOc
- Optimism quotes http://thinkexist.com/quotations/optimism/
- “If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” John Heywood (English playwright and poet 1497 - 1580)
- Geek Optimism http://www.neatorama.com/2010/11/02/geek-optimism/
About our resource links: We do not endorse or agree with all the beliefs in these links. We do keep an open mind about different viewpoints and respect the ability of our readers to decide for themselves what is useful.
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