Menu
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future.
Because unless you believe that the future can be better,
you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”
– Noam Chomsky
I’m lucky that most of the people around me are mostly resilient optimists.
It’s not that they don’t have ‘their’ moments but regardless of the challenges life throws at them, eventually they find their way back to the ‘Let’s give it a go’ attitude.
Recently I was chatting with someone who had fallen into the ‘we’re all screwed’ mindset.
And it was amazing to see how little they were doing or trying to adapt to the new reality in front of us now. They had retreated and a degree of helplessness had entered their mind.
I guess the above quote shares the truth of their situation.
They had lost hope.
And so they’d stopped trying.
I shared with them stories of people I knew who were doing their best to adapt to now. Yes they were facing challenges and didn’t have all of the answers, but they were getting wins.
Some were using technology to re-invent their business. Others were using the time to learn new skills. And many were reaching out to get the support and perspective of colleagues and friends from different industries – to shake their mindset up.
If you’re listening to the news a lot, it’s easy to be pessimistic for many. Plus when you see your business model or way of working/living being shattered it’s easy and understandable to feel at a loss.
But there are opportunities out there. We just have to step into ‘being uncomfortable’ to find them. And that’s the hard part. But there is a high pay-off.
I have no doubt the future can be better.
But I also realise that there’s often no gain without pain.
What many people don’t realise is that optimism can be learned. And now is the time to step into it. (See ‘Learned Optimism’ by Martin Seligman)
What if you believed a much better future was coming? And that you could help create it?
We need to be in touch with reality. But we also need to be positive shapers of the future.
Where can you bring a more optimistic view this week?
Best,
Shane
PS – One way of improving your optimism and resilience is relaxation or meditation. I’ve been doing a version of it for over 20 years and recently I started hosting a weekly session for free – but – I’d appreciate your input on what the best time and platform to use is. Here’s a really short survey to have your say if you’re interested in attending.
PPS – Do you know someone who would benefit from reading this? Feel free to share it with them. To make this super simple, I’ve included some share buttons a little further down this page.
