Are You an Optimist?

I thought I was. After all, I am almost always the one to find a silver lining or to reframe a glass as half-full. (Don't take my word for it- my family has dubbed me "Mayor of Sunnyville.") So, imagine my surprise, when I took the self-assessment in the insightful book, Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman, Ph.D, and learned that I am only moderately optimistic, with some specific pessimistic tendencies.

It turns out that optimism is not about putting a positive spin on disappointing outcomes. It is about how we view both positive and challenging events across three domains- permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization. Pessimists tend to view difficult situations as unchanging, all-encompassing, and due to their own failures. (The meeting did not go well because, I am not smart enough to prepare effectively and never will be.) Whereas, optimists see the same situation as temporary, isolated, and improvable with effort. (The meeting did not go well, because I was tired and did not read the room well. I can do better next time.)

When you made the decision to lead a nonprofit, you certainly brought optimism with you, or you would likely have chosen to do something less daunting. But, in the face of day-to-day challenges that seem to come from everywhere at once, it can be difficult to maintain that natural buoyancy. Viewing optimism as a set of factors can help when a situation seems dire. The next time you are feeling down about an outcome, examine your self-talk. Are you telling yourself that the situation is pervasive, permanent, and personal? Breaking the connection to even just one of those explanatory threads can open up possibilities that pessimism may blind you to.

Seligman's book provides practical guidance to increase your optimistic abilities, and I highly recommend it. The most important score that comes from its assessment is one's hope score. By taking steps to rewire your current tendencies, you can improve your hope score, and couldn't we all use more hope?