Contagious Optimism
6 08 2008As I look around I continue to hear gloom and doom. Prices at the pump are heading north and some days south, corporations are tightening their belts, and when I look into the faces of people I see this blank stare – as if to say, I am just here, going through the motions. The lights are on, but no one is home. It’s what Scott Dilbert calls “Dead People Working.” Do you know anyone like this?
Snap out of it! Rattle the cage! Tip the boat! Grab your life by the shirt collar and pull yourself forward in to your future!
I must admit that for the last six weeks I have felt discouraged, disappointed, and negative. Are you shocked and surprised? Well, I am human and I believe in keeping it real. If someone tells you that every day they are always positive and never have a bad day then they are lying or smoking some New Age dope.
However, during this time, I realized that negativity, pessimism, and cynicism are contagious and you can feed into another person’s dismal outlook or you can stand up in your soul and walk the other way. Today, I want to extend an invitation to you to be contagiously optimistic about your future. Negativity is a pain. Negativity has a viral affect that spreads from the mind, to the lips, to the hands and feet. However, when the mind is exercised and stretched to believe that your adversity determines your capacity then endorphins (neurotransmitters) are released in the pain pathways of brain and spine. Ultimately, this impacts what you think, say, do and feel.
Optimism, as defined by dictionary.com, is a tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation. Optimism creates confidence, and guess what? Your confidence is under attack as a result of layoffs, hiring freezes, decreases in benefits, early retirements, cancelled contracts… the list goes on. These announcements from businesses and organizations impact your confidence level. Your confidence is tied to your courage and when you have courage you take risks. When you are discouraged by negative news you play it safe. Why? You respond to what you hear, see, and what others say.
Is there a better way to live and experience life to the fullest? Yes and its called Contagious Optimism (C.O.). Individuals and businesses that subscribe to the C.O. mindset demonstrate the following behaviors:
When everyone is saying the same thing and moving the same direction, the C.O. mindset says go the opposite direction.
When others are tip-toeing through the tulips of self-preservation and “I need to be nice because I need this job or your business,” the C.O. mindset says let’s ruffle some feathers and shake up the establishment of comfort zone living.
The C.O. mindset individual will raise their hand and ask the right question to get everyone in the room moving and thinking.
The C.O. mindset refuses to settle for business as usual.
The C.O. mindset will rewrite their job description.
The C.O. mindset organizations do not employ they deploy people to release their brilliance.
The C.O. mindset infuses the organizational culture to rise to the occasion and seize the moment.
The C.O. mindset leaders don’t tell people what to do but invite them to become what they were meant to be
The C.O. mindset realizes that every day you are adding a sentence to the story of your life. Today is the day to be the exclamation point.
The C.O. mindset mistakes are celebrated and failure is rewarded.
The C.O. mindset individuals don’t work in departments but on teams.
The C.O. mindset people work to make meaning instead of just money.
The C.O. mindset people see themselves as the solution that they’ve been waiting for.
The C.O. mindset individuals are attractive people. Everyone wants to be around them and seek their opinion.
The C.O. mindset people complete their work and then ask others if they need any help in completing their work.
The C.O. mindset people are the match that sets their life on fire. Others come from near and far to watch them burn.
Simon Says…Release Your Brilliance and be Contagiously Optimistic!
Simon - What a great blog post. I really enjoyed the line, “If someone tells you that every day they are always positive and never have a bad day then they are lying or smoking some New Age dope.” I am going to put that one in my quote file, because too often many “New Age” types do sugar coat daily troubles and I like the tempered optimism you bring to their perspective. Being a C.O. is something I struggle to do everyday and I thank you for providing the motivation I need to keep up the fight.
Hi Chris,
I am glad that you liked this one. It was fun writing it because I got a chance to share my truth. It also helps me keep my feet on the ground.
Simon
Simon,
This is true. Today everyone is walking around gloomy doom because of the current economy. I never thought about it but negativity is contagious. Often times I do feed into it. I never felt comfortable shaking it off. Now when I am confronted with pessimism I won’t feed into it. Because of C.O. I am choosing to walk the other way!