Pessimists and Optimists

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? And how is that working for you? I love it when pessimists deny that they are pessimists, but just realists! On the other side, I love the optimist who believes the show will still go on when a tornado has whisked through their concert field and the stage has blown 20 miles down the road with all the equipment in tatters. Sometimes, people are at the extremes.?

Personally, I lean toward the pessimistic side—and yes, I call that reality. My 17-year-old daughter says that she tends to look for the negative potential outcome. With that she is seldom disappointed. For example, if she is trying out for a team or has just finished a test, she convinces herself that she probably won’t make the team and that she just did OK on the test. If those are the outcomes, she is not disappointed. She already expected those results. But if she makes the team or aces the exam, she can celebrate because it is beyond what she expected.?

Where am I going with this? We all need to do what we need to do to make it work for us. Personally, I don’t think the pessimist is wrong or the optimist is right. It’s what works for you. I know many people in the sponsorship industry who are hugely successful, but very cautious. They wait for the other shoe to drop. They don’t think that things can continue successfully. They think this attitude keeps them on their toes. It keeps them aware of their surroundings so they pay attention to detail, and continue to be creative and innovative. They are always alert and making Plan B! That’s the way they have become, and will continue to be, successful.?

I know several (OK, our industry is full of them) people in the sponsorship marketing industry who are hugely optimistic—some might say egotistical. They believe in what they have presented or created and stand by it. They see the moon as the goal and their ideas will take them there. Optimists who have that vision and believe in what they have developed will carry it to success because they will do whatever they can to make it successful. This works for them. This is how they have become leaders in our sector—the “eternal optimists” who motivate others with their enthusiasm. ?

Our sector is full of successful people, some of whom are optimists, some pessimists. Know where you stand or lean toward on that scale and follow that passion. Don’t let others take away the process that motivates you or ensures you are successful by telling you to stop being a “Negative Nellie” or “dreamer.” Do what it takes for you and your partner to be successful. Winston Churchill once said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” It is all how you look at it and what makes you tick!?

We have all heard the old saying (and I am sure a meme out there somewhere) that the pessimist sees the glass half empty. The optimist sees that same glass half full. The great sponsorship person sees the opportunity to sell ice to both of them!