"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" Winston Churchill

All of us worry about what will happen in the future. It is natural and even healthy. Some people worry all the time and live with the same sense of hyper-vigilance and worry about danger. The first smell of smoke in the house, the siren of a police car, the crash of thunder, and the first sign of fever can make many people nervous and worrisome and begin thinking negatively

For thousands of years people struggled for survival and were constantly per-occupied with constantly identifying dangers. Personal and familial survival was challenged on a daily basis and it was adaptive to worry about dangers and worst case scenarios.

Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, demonstrated that there in a link between worrying and negative thinking patterns. The thought of danger causes anxiety, the thought of loss causes sadness and the thought of trespass causes anger. If we habitually think that misfortune is lurking and is a constant threat, it will become inevitable.

Seligman developed the concept of "learned optimism" which helps people overcome negative pessimistic thoughts by disputing them. An example is to help someone after they have lost a game or competition. There is a tendency for people to think of themselves as a loser. Rather than consider the particular competition as particular to that skill (i.e. running, singing, writing etc...) They universalize the loss to their whole self and feel they are "a loser".

In such a case the therapist coach helps the client focus on his whole self and positive attributes and not only the areas of tension, stress and sense of inadequacy. It helps give a more realistic perspective of the person's while self.

Developing a positive and optimistic perspective is also a strong motivating tool to change behavior. Researchers have documented that hope and positive experiences as opposed to threats and fear are much better motivators.

Dr Dean Ornish, a cardiologist who has written six books on heart disease, conducted a study of 333 patients with severely clogged arteries they were all at high risk for major heart operation. He gave them incentives to quit smoking and put them in a program, with meditation, yoga and aerobic exercises. One year later, 77% of the patients stuck with the new lifestyle changes and avoided bypass surgery or angioplasty.

Dr Ornish claims this approach worked because he re-framed the program from the negative to positive. Rather than threatening them to change their destructive habits or die within 12 months, he had them experience healthy living, joy and a hopeful future. His conclusion was that no one would be motivated (even at the threat of death), if they are in constant chronic pain. When people experience the "joy of living", and it is supplemented with concrete steps and positive experiences, that helps motivate them to change habits.

Optimism does have limitations and the guideline for not deploying optimisms is to ask what the cost of failure is in the particular situation. If the cost of failure is high, optimism is the wrong strategy. The airline pilot decides to de-ice the plane one more time, or the party goer deciding whether to drive home after drinking, should not use optimism. The costs of failure are too great. It basically means to consider all options without being overly optimistic. "The light at the end of the tunnel may be another train".

. On the other hand, if the cost of failure is low, use optimism. Take the risk to performance or challenge when failure is only a lack of success.

It is important to see the difference between this approach and the power of positive thinking. Positive thinking often involves trying to believe upbeat statements such as "every day in every way, I am getting better and better." In the absence of evidence, most people get skeptical quickly and consider such statements silly cheer leading.

Learned optimism in contrast, is about being optimistic with an accurate evaluation of reality. It is a developed skill of disputing pessimism and identifying steps to an optimistic goal. It is often effectively used in therapy with anxious clients and by coaches helping people to reach challenging goals. Difficulties and challenges are inevitable in life and learning realistic optimistic approaches will help you persist in attaining your goal because you are mentally and emotionally prepared to overcome obstacles.

Dr Mann is a Clinical Psychologist and Certified Life Coach who helps teenagers, adults and executives achieve positive goals.

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