Shaking the Three P’s of Pessimism
Listening to Dan Pink yesterday, I was reminded of research related to resilience, a topic of interest right now. Are you an optimist – the one who sees the glass half-full, tending to a rosy picture of the world? Or a pessimist who sees the glass half empty, the person who sees why it shouldn’t be done that way, each and every time? Or are you a little of both?
How do you explain the challenges and challenging events in your world?
Research shows that people with a pessimistic perspective are most likely to suffer from depression, give up and become disengaged, get sick more often and even bounce back from physical illness less quickly. How do you know if you’re in jeopardy? Think about how you respond to negative situations in your life. Do you see them as permanent (“it will never change”), personal (“it’s all my fault”), and pervasive (“I can’t ever do anything correctly”)?
One way to avoid the slide into the three P’s of pessimism is to challenge each layer by asking yourself, “is that really true?” Is it true that the situation will NEVER change? Is it true that it’s really ALL your fault? What have you done correctly today? I’ll bet there is something positive about the day; you woke up breathing, right?
Challenge yourself on the three P’s of pessimism; you may surprise yourself. One tool a Coach may use to help you: Turn each around and look for the positive opposite. Take a sip, ahhh!
