The Pitfalls of Optimism
Optimism is overrated.
Being optimistic is hard work. When I’m my usual upbeat self, life is not always so easy. When I talk about my vision for the future and the possibilities it offers, someone always reminds me that the world is ending.
When I mention how much I appreciate the freedom that we have, someone always offers a conspiracy.
When I tell people that this is the most incredible time in history to be in business, someone is always quick to remind me of impending economic doom.
Being optimistic, day in and day out has lost me friends, acquaintances, family relationships, and clients. I’ve been told that my optimism about life, business, and the future scares some people. Are we so afraid of the “What If’s” of our world that we can’t see the “What Is”? Unfortunately, much of the world has settled into and is happy with living a “survival” mindset. Their only belief is in the “what if’s” they perceive. I have family who firmly believes that if they got the Covid vaccination, the serum contains a tracking device that a particular software company has implanted in them. So, they have hidden in a veil of ignorant fear based on the same fear and speculation of those even less informed.
I’ve made a decision—the hell with them all. I will continue to believe in the good in man and the potential of every human. Last year, 2020, was the best year of my long career. 100% of my business coaching clients had positive growth and many experienced record years. I would not allow them to have negative thoughts. My clients thrived while other businesses locked their doors and fell prey to the media and internet speculation. We collectively decided that we would still do business; we would just be doing business differently. We got creative. We understood that we could still affect our world. We optimistically believed that no matter what was going on in the world; our country; our state, or our city, our customers would still need to buy our product from someone. They would still be consumers. So, we chose in every case to welcome to continue to do business with us, but maybe in a different way than they were familiar.
Together, we spent a lot of time learning to control our mindset by controlling our environment. Sometimes that simply meant turning off their television or walking away from negative conversations.
The superstar entrepreneurs and business people moving forward will be the ones that master optimism. They control their universe, looking for possibilities rather than just surviving. Life is much more exciting when you can train yourself to believe in the future. While the masses live from false perceptions, the OPTIMISTICS, will gladly take all the market share.
Believe in the possibilities of life, and keep smiling. It’ll make people wonder what you’ve been up to.