“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” – General Colin Powell
I’ve heard people define themselves either as an optimist or a pessimist. I don’t see it as a personality trait but instead a skill set. To be optimistic is to choose to reframe the situation in a way where we see the opportunity ahead.
Sure, some may be more adept to being able to reframe situations in an optimistic way, but this idea of optimism and pessimism is not fixed. It’s dynamic and very dependent on how we practice our mental framing.
Not only is mental framing impactful within, as General Colin Powell effectively articulates, it has a compounding impact outward as well. The idea of optimism rallies people around a why to the struggle and finds opportunity in the difficulty. The story is not solely defined by the struggle but also includes the narrative on how to learn, grow, and adapt.
Pessimism can be a force multiplier as well, just in a completely different direction. Pessimism does an incredible job bringing down those around us.
Who can think of the person that no matter what the situation the world is coming to an end? It’s a 75-degree sunny day yet they still will find the one cloud in the sky to drum up the idea it’s probably going to rain. They’re the coworkers that during a celebration of progress on a project speak up about how the project probably won’t even make much of a difference or won’t be noticed by leadership. Debbie Downers are all around.
What may not be as common is the person that can take the hard reality we face of struggle and difficulty but still find the opportunity ahead. They see the learning opportunity and growth potential through the struggle and grab whatever bright light ahead there is. And then they reach back and bring others along. They are the force multiplier.
The optimist doesn’t ignore reality and minimize the struggle, but they see the bigger picture. They see that our journey will always have struggle but there’s always lessons to be pulled from the struggle.
Being an optimist is hard work. It’s easy to default on focusing solely on the struggle. Afterall, struggle is all around us. But working on the skillset of being an optimist is supposed to be challenging. Pulling out the positive and opportunities in struggle is just that, challenging. But the inner and outer impact can be transformative. It’s not just impacting your view but it’s the impact you can have on others and how they view the opportunity during struggle.
Being optimistic is one of your many opportunities to be a force multiplier.
Take your step: the next time pessimism creeps in try reframing. Start searching for questions around what opportunities there are to learn, how you can challenge yourself, or ways you can grow for the future. Don’t just rely on the story, focused on struggle but instead invite in the opportunity to learn, grow, and adapt that comes with the experience.