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optimist or pessimist Tagged Articles



The Power of Thought to Make it All Happen
Use the power of your thoughts to create and fulfill all your outrageous possibilities.

Other optimist or pessimist Related Articles

Pragmatic Optimism
Most people consider me an optimist because I laughingly state that I would take my last two dollars and buy a money belt. I'd even go after Moby Dick in a rowboat, and take the tartar sauce with me! However, I've got to confess that I don't hold a candle to the ultimate lady optimist who lived in a retirement home.

The Optimist Creed Overview
This is the first in a series of articles on The Optimist Creed and how it can help you succeed in your career and life.
A Reality Check
Entrepreneurs are notorious optimists - they almost have to be, to take the risks required to start their own ventures. I'm an optimist too, but I temper my sunny outlook with a large dose of realism. (It doesn't always save me from making dumb decisions, but it helps.)
Effect of Optimism and Commitment on the Sales Force
I'm not an optimist or a pessimist. I tend to be a be a realist. Relating the aforementioned quotes to selling, I believe that optimists find it difficult to challenge people. I can easily slide over to the pessimistic side when necessary, like when it's time to debrief a salesperson on a recent call. It's difficult to punch holes or question a salesperson's account of a call if you are an optimist. Optimists often become overexcited and set unrealistic expectations about the likely outcome of an opportunity. I believe you must be able to slide back and forth between optimism and pessimism. Get yourself motivated and excited, be realistic about what's happening, and challenge people when what you hear doesn't sound right.
Screw the Apocaholics -- The Optimists’ Case
The NYT has a review/summary of Matt Ridley’s latest, “The Rational Optimist”. Worth a read in its entirely, but here are some excerpts from the John Tierney piece:
The Terrific Power of Optimism in Sports Success
Wise old Abe Lincoln described a pessimist as someone who “finds difficulty in every opportunity,” while an optimist is someone who “finds opportunity in every difficulty.” This principle is particularly true in athletics. Much research has shown that athletes and teams that have an optimistic interpretation of their performance (especially after losing) will consistently outperform those who view their performance and losses from a negative, pessimistic perspective.
DOES HOPE FLOAT?
Charlie Brown, the little neurotic fellow we have all come to know and love is an eternal optimist when it comes to kicking a football. No matter how many times Lucy pulls the ball away he always hopes that the next time she will let him kick it. In a way we are all like Charlie, no matter how often we hope, regardless of the outcome we always come back to it again and again. Because we have come to know that on those rare occasions we realize our hopes. There is another reason though for clinging to our hopes, a much more powerful reason in fact

Choosing Our Reality
An optimist expects the best possible outcome and dwells on the most hopeful aspects of a situation. He or she believes that this is the best of all possible worlds, the universe is improving, and good will ultimately triumph over evil. An optimist believes no one ever ruined their eye sight by looking at the bright side of life. Research on Emotional Intelligence, Attribution Theory (see Martin Seligman's book outstanding book Learned Optimism), and related fields show that optimists not only go further in life, they also have a much better time on the trip. Optimists are generally healthier, happier, and leaders in their fields.
Leaders are Learned Optimists
Effective leaders are "unreasonable" optimists. Optimists refuse to live in "the real world." They live in a world of hope and possibilities. They see an opportunity in every calamity. The pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity. Optimists excite and arouse others to action by helping them see, believe in, and reach for what could be.

'Tis The Season To Count Blessings
There are two types of person out there (actually, within each of us) - the Entrepreneur, who's a glass-is-half-full optimist, and the Victim, for whom life is always bad and getting worse. The holidays seem to amplify these types: during the holiday season, you see these two characters almost overplay their parts. The happy are happier... the sad are downright miserable....
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