#1057 Economists have predicted 12 of the last 2 recessions.

I dedicate this post to my good friend Black Cloud and his cousin, Parade Rain.

I expect excellent outcomes: 

• I have never taken a medical exam and fretted that the diagnosis would be bleak. 

• I anticipate a mutually agreeable conclusion at the start of every negotiation.

• I see minor catastrophes as finite, with their end just over the horizon.

Am I delusional? Maybe – but for sure, I’m an optimist. Did I come out of the womb like this? No. The events of my life have shaped my explanatory style.  

Science says that optimism is associated with better health. Indeed, levels of optimism can predict which heart attack survivors are most likely to have a second heart attack! (Paraphrased from Barking up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker)

Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, says that we fashion ourselves as optimistic or pessimistic by our explanatory style. His research sites what he calls the three p’s of that style. Permanence, Pervasiveness, and Personalization.  

Pessimists tell themselves that bad events will never end and are universal.

 They also tell themselves that bad events are Their own fault (I have the WORST luck)

Optimists flip that over. They believe bad events will be short-lived and specific to a time and place. They see bad weather as a meteorological event, not rain which came (of course!) to ruin their picnic.

Some folks think I’m unreasonable or say that people like me are wearing rose-colored glasses. We may be, but here’s a suggestion; Get yourself a pair!

Own Your Sales Gene…