The Power of Optimism and Generosity: A Personal Perspective

I've found two principles that have transformed my personal and professional life: optimism and generosity.

This isn’t for everyone. (But it could be.)

Lots of people just aren’t wired for this. I wasn’t, at first. I was always fearful of “giving away too much”, and eliminating a need to hire me. I have been badly burned by my optimism in the past, when “Don’t worry, it will all work out” just didn’t come true. But what I came to realise was that I was making half measures, not full strides into being optimistic and generous. I was always leaving a bit in my pocket, as a strategic advantage, for a rainy day.

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." –?Willie Nelson

Optimism: More Than Just Rose-Coloured Glasses

When I think about optimism, I don't mean blind positivity. It's about approaching every situation, discussion, or project with an open mind and the belief that there's always a positive way forward. I just need to find it. But I have the experience, the perspective, the patience and a network, to do just that. This mindset has consistently led me to interesting creative solutions and unexpected opportunities.

Bringing negativity into a situation is counterproductive. You are starting on the back foot before the gun goes off. By choosing optimism, I've found I can navigate challenges more effectively and turn potential setbacks into stepping stones. I wrote about my POV on the “mistakes” of AI hallucinations, here, which is so often seen as a negative. I chose to flip that script and turn it into a positive.?

“You gotta water your own plants. Nobody can water them for you. - DJ Khalid?

Generosity: The Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats

Alongside optimism, I've embraced a spirit of generosity. This means freely giving my time, energy, and knowledge to others. It's based on the principle that "a rising tide lifts all boats." By helping those around me grow and succeed, I'm creating a better environment for everyone – including myself.?

When I began thinking and writing about the Epilogue Economy, that point in an older person’s life when they begin thinking about a “What’s Next” scenario for their life, I received easily 50 DMs or emails that led to video calls or coffee meetings, not for business development for my consultancy RockPaperScissors, but to just talk. I was surprised (but shouldn’t have been) at the number of people that reached out. Many were in other time zones, which meant I was on a call at 11pm SGT talking to someone in Barcelona, or LA, or Paris. I traded time and bit of sleep to listen, offer a point of view where I could, and basically just be there for another human being.?

I was lucky enough to have begun to study GenAI, about 3 years ago, in a serious fashion. Now, I am no expert, but I have a way of approaching AI tools and ideas that has added to my success. So I started sharing that with people I knew, people that wanted to know what I was doing and why I was doing it “that way”.? I have had these 1-1 sessions now with quite a few people, who were like me a few years ago, driven by a curiosity to join the AI class, but also just didn’t know where to start.?

“Come by the apartment, we can have a coffee and talk.”?- Christopher Smith

The Self-Serving Nature of Optimism and Generosity

This approach isn't purely altruistic. It's a strategic investment in my own success and happiness. I figure if I can take an active role in better-informed, happier, and less stressed friends and business acquaintances, I've created a group of high-quality relationships and hopefully interesting projects. But the real payoff is that I feel good about it.?

The more I give, the more I receive. The more optimistic I am, the more success I seem to attract. It's a virtuous cycle that has significantly enhanced both my personal and professional life since adopting this mindset. I wished I had done this sooner, and more often.

Have I been given a project after sharing my GenAI approach to someone? Nope. But I have had numerous thank you calls and notes from those I shared time and coffee with, telling me how they used some of my ideas in their own lives, and work. These conversations, started by trying to be both optimistic and generous, have improved not only my ability to teach and coach,? but has also raised my confidence, my outlook, and my love of the individual.?

Plus, what have you got to lose? An hour of sleep, a secret hack, a coffee bill seems to be a pretty good exchange of time, energy and outlook.?