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Are you curious to know the answer to the question “Why is optimism important for success?”

When you look at a glass of water what do you see?  

Is the glass half full or half empty?  

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but how you view it can indicate if you are of a pessimistic or an optimistic nature. A pessimist will view it as half empty, whereas an optimist will view it as half full.  

As we all journey through life we get tested with either problems or opportunities. How you view these situations, just like the glass of water, can indicate whether you are a pessimist or an optimist. An optimist will view the glass as half full because they will be looking at what can be put into the glass. Whereas a pessimist will simply be looking at what has been taken out.

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

Are You A Pessimist Or An Optimist?

Do you beat yourself up over your past failures exclaiming that you are unlucky or blaming external factors for those failures? Is the market in a downward spiral leaving you helpless and without any control over the outcome? Do you give up easily when you are faced with challenges or setbacks? If you answered “yes” to most of these questions, the chances are that you are a pessimist.

Be wary of your pessimistic nature as it can be more harmful to your health than smoking.

Alternatively, do you see setbacks as temporary single event rather than a major catastrophe? Do you have the confidence and belief that you have the ability to overcome any issues and handle any situation that may arise. Do you believe that better times will come again and that the situation will improve in the future for all of us? If you answered “Yes” to most of these questions then the chances are that you are an optimist.

Develop Resilience Against Stress

Having an optimistic nature can help you to develop resilience against stress. It can also be a major asset and a powerful tool to have not only in business, but also in regards to your health and your relationships.  Optimists tend to be more helpful, flexible and respectful towards their customers. They are also more creative and have more empathy than pessimists.  Research has shown that healthy, successful people generally have a tendency to think in a more positive way.

In a study of elderly adults who were immunised for flu, their immune response to the vaccination was measured two weeks after the immunisation took place. The greater their optimism, the greater the number of antibodies produced and the better immunity they had. 

Optimists are able to recover from disappointments far more quickly than their pessimistic counterparts. They focus on more positive outcomes, to a greater extent, than they do on negative ones. Optimists are able to cope better with disappointments because they focus on the positive aspects of any setbacks. They are more likely to engage in problem-solving exercises when faced with difficulties. This can in turn increase their psychological well-being. 

Whilst pessimists tend to cope with difficult situations through denial and abandoning any impeded goals, optimists accept the reality of difficult situations. They will try to frame them with the best outcome possible, relying on acceptance and the use of humour.

Zig Ziglar once said, “Optimists are people who, when they wear out their shoes, have just figured out that they are back on their feet.”

Are you beginning to see why is optimism important for success?

Optimism Can Be A Powerful Tool

Overall, optimists are generally better off in life than pessimists. As you can see, optimism can be a powerful tool to have in our repertoire. This can help to keep us happy, healthy, and alive, which is great news for the natural optimist. But what about the natural pessimists, you might ask?

Although we are born with either a pessimistic or optimistic nature, only 50% of your personality traits are inherited from your biological parents. Around 25% of your optimism is coming from your DNA. The rest is developed over time. It is shaped by your upbringing when you are in your early childhood, as well as your experiences of life’s ups and downs.

The good news is that it is still possible to learn to be optimistic. Optimism is a skill that can be developed in just the same way as any other skill that we want to develop.

Having said all that, there may be times when you could say that a pessimist has a more realistic and accurate approach regarding the dangers or risks in a particular situation.

Sometimes, an optimist can be so busy looking for the good in things that they forget to notice what action they could take to improve certain situations. Conversely, a pessimist can be so busy looking at what is missing and what is wrong that they miss seeing the good that they already have around them and that they can be instantly grateful for. 

Can you now see the benefits of being optimistic and the answer to “Why Is Optimism Important For Success?”

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