Let’s start with a definition for our discussion. Optimism is a belief that the future is promising; it’s not a denial of current situation. Why is that critical? No matter what the area of life (personal, professional, etc.), things currently don’t have to be in a good place or going well for you to find an optimistic outlook. And you don’t have to be some wild-eyed YES! person to create an optimistic outlook, even in the harshest of situations/environments.
When I say “find an optimistic outlook”, I am speaking very specifically. You don’t have to become an optimist about everything at all times, especially if it’s not your nature. I am not an optimist as a person – I’m a realist. I tend to look around and out to develop a sober assessment of current and future states. I don’t put on rose colored glasses and just proclaim how amazing everything is and will be. That would be lunacy! And undermine any ability I may have to lead people as most will see that I am not being honest with them (or myself).
So what do I mean? Once I have a realistic assessment, I start to create a plan that can shape the future in a productive way. It could take days…it could take years. But with a pragmatic plan to alter the situation to a more desirable future, all of a sudden it is easy to be optimistic. As a matter of fact, you’ve just found an optimistic outlook.
Remember, you don’t have to have a perfect situation or create a plan for a perfect situation to find an optimistic outlook – you just need to create a path to a more promising future than you envision today. Think of it like this:
Optimism = Awareness + a Plan
Of all my values, this one is the hardest to consistently apply – which typically makes it the most valuable and rewarding. Being able to find a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel, how dark the path, or how small the light, is a skill that will not only benefit you but also those around you. We all want to be moving towards something and finding an optimistic outlook that folks can center on will propel everyone forward more rapidly than expected.
View from the Middle 