Learn Optimism in Life

Wiki Says "Optimism is a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable. ... Being optimistic, in the typical sense of the word, is defined as expecting the best possible outcome from any given situation".

Most of us heard about the concept of "Glass is Half Full / Half Empty" - We do that check to understand the concept of optimistic or pessimist nature. But lot never thought of how that nature is developed in us or can we change it?. If a person is Pessimist, can he think like an optimist and change the course of life?

First we need to understand what's helplessness means, to understand and learn Optimism.

 Helplessness is - When bad things happen, we like to believe that we would do whatever necessary to change the situation. Research on what is known as learned helplessness has shown that when people feel like they have no control over what happens, they tend to simply give up and accept their fate. When people feel that they have no control over their situation, they may begin to behave in a helpless manner. This inaction can lead people to overlook opportunities for relief or change.

 Learned helplessness For example, a person who feels shy in social situations may eventually begin to feel that there is nothing (s) he can do to overcome the symptoms. This sense that her symptoms are out of her direct control may lead her to stop trying to engage herself in social situations, thus making her shyness even more pronounced.

Learned helplessness can also result in anxiety, depression, or both. When kids feel that they've had no control over the past events of their lives, they gain the expectation that future events will be just as uncontrollable. Because they believe that nothing they do will ever change the outcome of an event, kids are often left thinking that they should not even bother trying.

 Ofcourse this behavior can be changed and this can be countered with learned optimism.

 Learned optimism is the idea in positive psychology that a talent for joy, like any other, can be cultivated. Learned optimism involves developing the ability to view the world from a positive point of view. One of the approach by Matin Seligman suggested is ABCDE

1.  Adversity is the situation that calls for a response
2. Belief is how we interpret the event
3. Consequence is the way that we behave, respond, or feel
4. Disputation is the effort we expend to argue or dispute the belief
5. Energization is the outcome that emerges from trying to challenge our beliefs

You can use this model to learn to be more optimistic in life. After a week of applying it to instance I go through in daily life, I feel it's helpful to any with disregard of the situation you are in.

Below is one of the best image I could get from internet. You can search ABCDE model and get more apt charts which help you.

You can get more insights from 'Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman