Why Optimists Prosper

Written by Tracy O Connor - 13 Comments
Categories: self improvement

Photo credit: ‘La Vie En Rose’ – Jacqueline Coates

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to weather financial upheaval without breaking a sweat and have confidence to spare when it comes to taking risks such as starting their own business or taking a year off to travel without an enormous safety net? The answer is that they’ve mastered the art of optimistic thinking. The good news is that while some people are simply born more inclined towards optimism anyone can learn to take a more positive, proactive approach towards their money and financial life.

Optimists look for favorable outcomes

This doesn’t mean that optimists always jump in to things willy-nilly and hope for the best, rather that they do not let potential negative outcomes overshadow the potential positive outcomes. By expecting the best to happen and having faith that they can handle any negatives, optimists are in a position to take advantage of opportunities that come their way.

Of course, it would be foolish to ignore all risks but it’s also foolish to refuse to take actions that could increase your happiness and well being because you are only focused on the bad things that could happen and ignore the good.

Optimists believe that their actions can make a difference

Optimists do not see their own efforts as being futile or meaningless. They understand that they do have the power to make things happen and take steps to make their dreams a reality.
In contrast, pessimists have a difficult time believing that what they do will make any difference and find it difficult to make any changes or take any actions towards a goal. They find excuses why something that has worked for others will not work for them and believe that anything that they do is doomed to fail. This makes it difficult for them to have a healthy relationship with money or get out of situations that make them unhappy, such as a dead end job that makes them miserable.

Optimists do not internalize failure

When things don’t work out for an optimist, they don’t beat themselves up over it or conclude it’s because they are not good enough. They are able to accept failure as a part of life and try again with a positive attitude. They don’t see themselves as doomed to fail and are often better able to learn from their mistakes as they don’t see it as coming from something fixed, such as stupidity or incompetence but rather from something that they can change such as needing more education or practice.
When pessimists do take chances and fail, they have a hard time not blaming themselves and concluding that this is the way that it has to be. One defeat can leave them reluctant to try again for months and years and can leave them with a profound sense of being unworthy or completely at the mercy of others.

How you can become more optimistic

It’s important to realize that optimism is not a result of being too foolish to understand risks or born out of arrogance or a sign of being simple-minded. Optimists are just as intelligent and perceptive as pessimists; the difference is where they place their focus.
By making a conscious effort towards more optimistic thinking, you’ll be better able to take opportunities that have the potential to make you happy and to cope with any financial setbacks that come your way, including those that you have no control over such as a recession or natural disaster.
Here are some tips to help you think more optimistically:

• Recognize that doing nothing is often as risky as taking action.
• Realize that a positive outcome is just as realistic as a negative one.
• Understand that your failures are not because you are flawed as a person.
• Look for ways that you can take action to make your situation better.
• Embrace the fact that life is an adventure.
• Take comfort in knowing that even when you are in a miserable situation that you can take steps to make the future better.

Optimism is not pie in the sky thinking but rather a way of looking at the world with the knowledge that positive outcomes are a reality, that individuals can take actions to increase their own happiness and financial well being and that failing at something does not make you a failure.

Tracy O’Connor is a staff writer at Money Ning, a personal finance blog with a focus on empowering people to make their financial dreams a reality.

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  • http://cwglifecoachingunlimited.com.au Claire

    I agree with the differences between optimists & pessimists. I go even further and re-frame the term “failure” to “feedback”. When something doesn’t go the way you want it to, when you don’t get the result you were expecting, that is NOT a failure, it is feedback. Taking notice of what didn’t get the result you wanted amd then changing things around to get get a better result next time. How many of us, as babies, managed to walk perfectly when we took our first steps. I’m pretty sure we didn’t think “oh well that didn’t work so I’m never going to try again”. What about learning a skill such as learning to talk, to drive, to write, to feed and dress oursleves, to do any of activities we do each day and take for granted. Optimism is about abundant thinking. Believing in yourself and your abilities and much, much more

  • http://www.bloggerdad.com David Wright

    Well said. I wish I’d read this post when I was a bit younger and let fear rule my life.

    The more you try, whether it be at businesses or relationships, the more successes you will have. Sure, you’ll likely have a lot of failures, but its from those failures that you learn to be successful.

  • http://www.peppervirtualassistant.com/ Kirstine Vergara

    Because they don’t dwell on failure. They take control of the situation and do not choose to be a failure.

  • http://www.coupleoncouples.com Graeme

    I recently purchased Holosync, and I have been really impressed by its effect on my general positivity. I know you’ve written quite a bit on meditation, and I’m surprised you didn’t add that in here!

  • http://www.chrisakins.com Chris Akins

    Optimists create successful realities. Literally. There is a neurological and neuropsychological basis for this. Neuroscientists and neuropsychologists have identified the neurological basis for perceptions, and how those perceptions actually map our realities.

    Its very powerful stuff, and once you realize the level of control you have over your own reality the world becomes a much more interesting (in a positive way) place.

  • http://lookingtobusiness.com Daniel M. Wood

    Hi Tracy,

    Great article.
    Changing my attitude and belief system has completely changed my life.
    It has taken me from a mediocre salesman to a country manager, motivational speaker and popular blogger.

    But changing your belief system is hard work. It isn’t just telling yourself that you are good (even though that REALLY helps), it takes that you change your mentality, your view of yourself and increase your self-esteem.

    I have found that the best way to do this is by listing everything, and I mean everything, you like about yourself, every positive trait and everything you do well.

    Start there and see that you are a brilliant person, with a very unique skill set. Go from there and keep giving yourself positive feedback.

  • Froztwolf

    I would love to see more practical advice on how to become more optimistic.

    The thing is, most self-help articles, books, seminars and lectures only tell you that you need to be optimistic and happy, because that’s what successful people are. It doesn’t tell you how to go about that.

    As a result, people kick themselves for not being optimistic and happy. Worse yet, if you are a pessimist you probably start expecting horrible things in your future because you are so pessimistic. Especially if you delve into Law of Attraction.

    Knowing that you should be more optimistic doesn’t make it so.

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    [...] Why Optimists Prosper on Pick the Brain Optimism is not pie in the sky thinking but rather a way of looking at the world with the knowledge that positive outcomes are a reality, that individuals can take actions to increase their own happiness and financial well being and that failing at something does not make you a failure. [...]

  • http://www.glimpsesindia.com Glimpses India

    This book outlines brilliantly and simply the rationale for how and why the bubble developed.

  • http://www.optimismadvantage.com Terry Paulson, PhD

    This is an excellent article that is well worth reading and referencing. As author of “The Optimism Advantage,” I cover some of the same material in my book. One of your readers commented that they wished they had learned this earlier. I would suggest to parents that they can help. Don’t take away adversity from their children’s lives. Let them cope with problems. Optimism is earned through a track record of overcoming obstacles. The more obstacles overcome, the more one believes that they can do it again. Let people fall and get up themselves. Don’t give inflated praise or fix all their problems. Give them the gift of earned optimism. Some of your readers wanted even more tips on how to become more optimistic. I have a blog post on my Optimism Advantage Blog that highlights twenty tips to claim your optimism advantage. I’d love your readers to visit http://optimismadvantage.com/?p=159 and comment on these additional insights. Thanks again for a great article. I hope to send some of my readers to your post in return.

  • Jaym

    The flaw in this post is that there are people like me, who worked harder than anyone else (literally- I worked 8 years straight, 7 days a week, 10-24 hours a day) and yet were ruined and put into an impossible situation by OTHER people.

    In my current situation, I *do not* have options, because other people, or societal constructs, block me from progressing.

    I have generalized anxiety disorder that is bad enough I can NOT find a workplace I can manage, and I require a very specific type of career. However, I can not go back to working the hours I previously did because the whole field is run the same way- there’s nothing I can do alone to change that.

    To get work, I need access to free, quality medical and mental health care for my anxiety disorder. While I get to see an NP for medications through community health, I have no access to regular mental health therapy- there are no pro-bono possibilities, and community MENTAL health requires you to be suicidal or homicidal. Even without working 8 years now, I’ve been denied disability, and just recently applied for DHS aid, but was told I probably won’t get help.

    Our society has no interest in helping those who need it most, who’ve been a victim of other people’s actions. I’m the first to admit when I did something wrong, but I made no mistakes and have no responsibility for the position I’m in. After all of my experiences, it’s taught me that optimism is a form of self-illusion… it helps some feel like our society isn’t as bad as it really is in actuality.