Summary:
Are you looking for ways to be more optimistic? This article explains the difference between positivity and optimism and how the latter can help for more positive energy.
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My previous article was about the importance and benefits of higher and positive team energy. Unfortunately, it gives you little guidance on how to make this higher and more positive.
My intention was, therefore, to write a new article about what you can do for more positivity. That is one of my strengths and core qualities. During my research about positivity, however, I found out that there is a difference between positivity and optimism.
Although I am very positive, I am not always optimistic. Maybe it is because of the challenges that I, or we as a society, now face. I must confess that I often see a risk or a danger behind something (new). Just ask my family: If they want to put bread for the birds in the garden, I’m concerned that it will attract rats.
Optimism and positivity
Optimism and positivity are not the same and people sometimes confuse these two.
With positivity, you try to see only the good and the positive in every situation. To be positive is to say that everything is ok when that is not the case. It is strange to look for the positive in an accident, the fact that you are ill, you have been fired or that your company is bankrupt.
Actually, you can’t do that that to the people around you. It is naive and causes people to mistrust you.
According to the French psychologist Christophe André, optimism is that you have confidence in the future. There is a solution to every problem you are facing right now.
Simon Sinek says about optimism that it is a belief that the future is positive. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and we will get out of our misery.
It is not the denial that things are not good as positive people tend to be.
When we talk about optimism, we are talking about an attitude. It’s about being aware of your current situation and taking action. You focus on what you can do and how to respond to a problem or crisis.
Steps for more optimism
The first step is to accept the world or your situation as it is.
An optimist then searches for information, for facts. And that with the mindset of “the glass being half full”.
Look for facts in your life where things are going well or perhaps better than anywhere else. Consider how many people you have been able to help to this day. Because often we consider what goes wrong; Which offers or work have we missed? Which relationships have ended?
You then make an inventory of your strengths or your character strenghts and which instruments you have to tackle your problem or crisis.
Optimism is not about sitting still, but about taking action. Become aware of your situation and ask yourself what you can do about it. Because there are things you can do something about and things you can’t do anything about. The more you focus on things you can’t do anything about, the more you worry and do nothing. Find opportunities, choices, and what you can use to make something of a situation.
You can be optimistic towards your colleagues, your friends, or your family. Anticipate that things will be fine. It is the only thing that will improve energy and morale. You can be optimistic by saying that while it is difficult, you can see the reality and the future positively.
An optimist never says “I will tell you why it is going well”. He/she says, “Let’s see what we can do about it together. What are the options? What are the positive effects? ” An optimist asks “Why not?”.
An optimist tries to understand the viewpoint of someone else based on facts. He/she is someone who is curious and can ask good questions and will not say that you should not watch TV because it is only negative. There should be no focus on the drama. The optimist is more likely to watch the news to look for opportunities and see the future differently other than being presented to him.
Optimism = sustainable energy
Optimism is perhaps psychologically sustainable energy. It goes up when we share it. It is about acting, making things happen, and doing something for someone else or society. You can do something to make others feel safe and seen and to recognize them. And so you also experience more positive energy!
Are you looking for more optimism? Recently a new Podcast has been released from Simon Sinek. The first episode of “A bit of Optimism” is about relationships and it will certainly inspire you to take relationships to the next level.
What do you do if you are optimistic? What is the effect of this on others? Let me know in the comment field below. The other readers of this article and I are looking forward to reading from you!
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Sources:
–Philippe Gabilliet – Propager l’optimisme autour de soi
–Simon Sinek – Optmism vs. positivity
