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A Note from Rolfe
In my July newsletter you may recall (or if your memory is like mine you can't remember last week much less last July) that I wrote about the Profitability of Optimism and its use as a proven and precise mental technology that will positively impact every area of your life and career. Being the 'recovering pessimist' that I am, I was sure that no one would care...I was wrong. Many of you wrote and commented that you would like to know more about this "Learned Optimism" and how you can incorporate it into your personal and professional life. Well, be careful for what you ask for. This quarter I will share just a few of the insights and techniques that have been so helpful to me. I am OPTIMISTIC they will help you, too!
- Rolfe
Happy As You Choose to Be
 "It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore.
"However," he said, brightening up a little,
"we haven't had an earthquake lately."
- Winnie the Pooh
In this world there are happy people and there are unhappy people. There are people who inherently whistle while they work and others who drag their feet to work and through life. There are those annoyingly joyous people that always seem to have a smile on their face and in their heart. Some people are just born optimistic. Some are dreamers and some are realists. Right? Wrong!
There may be both optimists and pessimists in this world, but there is no predestined cage for the seemingly eternal pessimist. Though an "Eeyore" may never become a "Tigger," there are skills and ways of thinking that can significantly affect a person's level of optimism.
There seems to be a natural tendency to focus on the negative. And therein lays the true problem. It's our focus. One of the things I speak on is the FOCUS PRINCIPLE: We empower what we focus on. Like a magnifying glass harnessing and focusing the sun's rays will burn a hole through paper, so our focus on the negative can sear our conscience and burn through hope. What we need to do is learn how to use the FOCUS PRINCIPLE to our advantage when it comes to interpreting life's events.
The truth is, optimists and pessimists think very differently. And it is through the power of the mind that we will unravel the mysteries of learning to be an optimist.
Optimists and pessimists interpret life's events very differently through three distinct prisms: Permanence, Pervasiveness and Personalization.
Permanence
When a negative event occurs a pessimist thinks, "It is ALWAYS going to be like this, it will NEVER change." An optimist will look at the same event and think, "This too will pass, all things come and go and I just need to weather this storm."
Pervasiveness
When a disappointment occurs a pessimist thinks, "This is going to ruin EVERYTHING, now ALL of my plans are ruined. I won't be able to recover." An optimist thinks, "This ONE area in my life is not going well now, but life goes on and I can overcome this, too."
Personalization
The pessimist thinks, "It's all my fault. I can't ever get things right. There must be something wrong with me ." An optimist finds external reasons for why things went wrong, "It was just poor timing. The environment was not right for success. I was given bad information."
One way of thinking produces hope, the other, despair. And that is the secret to how you and I can increase our optimism. Listen to what you are saying to yourself and about yourself when life serves us lemons and cow pies. If you recognize the voice of a pessimist...REBUFF it! Dispute it! Don't just hang your head and amen the accusations and negative thoughts that fill your head. Become your best advocate. Like a good lawyer, re-define and re-interpret the event.
Last but not least; REFUSE TO SUBMIT TO THE TYRANNY OF NEGATIVITY. Find a friend and ask them to help you see things from a different perspective. If you do...you will be grinning and moving forward again in no time!
What's Going On With Rolfe?
- Traveling and speaking on behalf of Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation. It is inspiring to see our national leaders committed to our country's founding values. Visit the website at www.findroom219.com
- Excited about the release of Run to the Roar: A Fable of Choice, Courage and Hope , co-authored with Congressman Randy Forbes; working on an Audio Book for the Fable.
- Continuing the management training program for Virginia Eye Consultants.
- Putting the finishing touches on the sequel to follow up with the Fable about living out the "Courage of Our Convictions."
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