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Optimism – The Key to a Brighter Day

Carolyn Stern January 18, 2017

Stress management is the final area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how well we cope with change, the unfamiliar, and our daily challenges. Here, we examine how well we manage stress.

These competencies make up the general area of Emotional Intelligence

Flexibility
Stress Tolerance
Optimism

Let’s finish examining the third competency under the Stress Management Composite and discuss Optimism.

Optimism is the ability to have a positive attitude and outlook on life.

Has anyone ever asked you if the glass was half empty or half full? Your answer to this question shows your overall outlook on life. If you answered with the glass half full, you are showing an overall tendency to be optimistic and a tendency to be pessimistic if you answered with the glass half empty.

Optimism is a valuable characteristic that can benefit both your personal and professional life. You are bound to hit a bump in the road whether it is at work or at home, and it will be your optimistic attitude that will help you get back on track.

The Benefits of Optimism

Decreases negativity
Keeps you motivated
Helps to decrease stress
Overall happier with your life

Here are a few tricks to help improve your optimism.

1. Be realistic

To improve your mind set, it’s important that you set realistic goals. In part, a person can show a more pessimistic attitude because they are ruminating on past failures. It is important to outline where you are in your life (whether personal or professional), where you want to be, and how you want to get there.

If you have an unrealistic goal, then you are guaranteed failure right from the start. Of course you can do anything you set your mind to, but remember to start small and then reach the larger goals once the smaller ones are accomplished.

2. Stop and think…of the alternative

For someone who lacks optimism, his or her first thought will be negative. Once negative thoughts come into your mind STOP and think about the positive alternatives. Even if you don’t feel positive, thinking of the silver lining will help boost your feelings of optimism.

3. Confidence is key

It is not uncommon for someone with low optimism to also have low confidence. When individuals begin to feel good about themselves it becomes easier to start looking at the various parts of their lives that seemed so gloomy in a brighter light.

4. Accept failures

Mistakes are inevitable; we are all human. It is the way we recover from them that will make us optimistic. More times than not, when people fail – they stop, but this is the worst thing you can do. If you want to improve your optimism, it’s important to understand that failing is just another part of learning, which you can use in the future!

So there you have it, the four steps to enhancing your optimism.