11 Apr The Neuroscience of Optimism
There’s no doubt optimism is a good thing.
This isn’t exactly the same as “positive thinking”, a key difference being that optimism is grounded in reality.
But when it’s “done right”, optimism contributes to more happiness and positive emotion, more health and wellbeing, and so much more.
If the science behind optimism (and, therefore, happiness) is of interest to you then read on …
via Forbes by Christine Comaford
Are you an optimist?
If not, do you want to be one?
And how does optimism differ from being relentlessly (and often artificially) upbeat?
In my experience of coaching leaders for over 3 decades, optimism is:
· Taking full responsibility for your thoughts and behaviors
· Noticing where you didn’t fully show up and taking steps to improve next time
· Feeling that you have control over yourself, even though you don’t have it over all the conditions in your life, so you can only influence outcomes to a degree
Optimism is not:
· Relying on luck (though many optimists may consider themselves lucky people, they often believe that they create their own luck), which relies on the belief that good things happened because of factors out of your control
What do both have in common? They’re both reliant on the stories we tell ourselves for better, or worse. And both are due to a pattern of responses, which over time predict future responses. And yes, you guessed it, our responses are based on the stories we tell ourselves and others. What stories do you tell yourself? Especially important are the stories you tell yourself in challenging times. For example, what’s the story you tell/told yourself during the peak of Covid?
What Optimism Might Look Like
At the time I’m writing this I am having a new garage door installed. I’ve waited 4 months for it, so it’s an exciting day. It’s also a day (and week) of torrential rain forecasts for the area where I live. The workers just let me know that the wrong motor was specified, and thus I’ll have to open and close my new garage door manually (yes, getting out of the car in the pouring rain and lifting it up or pulling it down)…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE