Why You Need Optimism >= Oxygen

Yes, I'm an optimist, and no, I won't let your cynicism get to me. (That was probably implied, but oh well.)

I read a saying recently that really makes sense to me. I don't know who said it, but it goes like this:

If they don't know you personally, don't take it personally.

What a good point! It's so easy to let little daily mishaps get to you, but that's such a bummer. For example, I'm currently temping at a marketing company in Boston. Naturally, I don't know how to do everything--that's just inevitable. So when one of our upper-level employees spoke gruffly to me about something I had done wrong, I was tempted to wallow in self-pity. Luckily, the optimism kicked in. Hey, well now you know--you should have been thinking about that task before he even had to ask! That's an example of how to be pro-active in your work.

Bullet of sadness = dodged; helpful lesson = learned! Besides, staying positive and being persistent is an incredibly valuable quality. If you need inspiration, look at this post from the popular Humans of New York blog:

"I've been trying to get into a full time orchestra for the past 20 years. I'd guess I've been to over 200 auditions. It can be pretty heartbreaking. I tried out for the New York Philharmonic four times. One time I prepared three months for the Los Angeles Philharmonic audition, flew all the way across the country, and they cut me off after twelve seconds. But believe or not, I still have a certain amount of optimism about the process. And I think I'm getting better."

I'm not saying that you should always, always persist if you fail hundreds of times, but I find this man very inspiring regardless. He might not have booked the right audition just yet, but he has the attitude that will take him there--and make him successful in whatever he ends up doing.

Being able to handle setbacks, and accept your own mistakes as learning experiences rather than personal downfalls, is a skill, and you can acquire it.

So next time something akin to any of these examples happens to you, just try to re-frame it in your mind. How did it make you grow? Do you now know something that will help you in the future, so you won't make the same mistake twice? And if someone was judging you--odds are that person doesn't know you completely. You, on the other hand, know yourself--and you know that you are a capable person of value and worth.

Don't let them get you down!

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