As a perpetual pessimist, I was intrigued to learn that I'm not limited to a negative attitude for the rest of my life. Optimism can be learned according to Dr. Seligman. It's also interesting to note that Dr. Seligman himself admits to being a pessimist. Imagine a pessimist influencing so many people with positive psychology! There must be an oxymoron there somewhere. Learned Optimism didn't seem realistic at first which is a compatible outlook considering my negative nature, but I was confusing optimism with looking at the world through "rose colored glasses". Even though I was tired of my negative attitude, I needed to find a way to balance positive thinking with reality. One of my first boyfriends favorite sayings was, "Think positive, baby." I can still hear him saying it to me - and in the meantime, taking little action toward his goals. As naive as I was, I knew that simply thinking positive wouldn't get you very far without action behind it. Meshing an Optimistic Attitude with Reality One of my basic values is believing that anyone can reach their goals with the right amount of determination and planning. Would you call that optimistic? To a degree I suppose it was but I also believed in Murphy's Law - whatever could go wrong on the way to success probably would! I'm a rational thinker. Give me concrete examples of the benefits of a course of action and I could be persuaded. Dr. Seligman advises us to count the cost when using the principle of optimism. Learned optimism is based on the premise of seeing situations accurately. Using Optimism When considering personal development issues, optimism will keep us motivated to achieve. We can fight depression, reach for goals, inspire others, and even impact our health using optimism. Balance Optimism with Realism If the cost of failure of an action is high, balance realism with optimism. When devising an action plan, be very realistic about HOW you are going to get to your goals but be optimistic that you CAN reach them - with the proper planning. Copyright 2005 - Cathy Gariety - USA This article can be freely distributed electronically or in print as long as the author bio including link remains intact. |
