#EveryLittleActionCounts Week 11: Becoming Optimistic!
This week is a call to become optimistic. Optimism serves as a catalyst for positive change, enabling individual and collective envisioning and pursing of goals. Optimistic leaders inspire confidence, motivation, and a sense of purpose among their followers, thereby improving organizational culture, performance, and well-being.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
– Helen Keller
Let’s try on a Positive Lens
Adopting a positive lens involves developing and cultivating a mindset focused on recognizing and amplifying the positive aspects of situations, relationships, and experiences. In academia we are exposed to many complex challenges and it is difficult for many to ‘see the positive’. Nevertheless, being able to do this can significantly improve our mental and physical well-being. The following points can support you to become an ‘optimist’:
Practice Gratitude: Regularly take time to reflect on and express gratitude for the goodness, opportunities, and positive experiences in your personal and professional life. This can support shifting your focus from what is currently negative to the positive that you already have.
Challenge Negative Thoughts: When negative thoughts arise, intentionally challenge them by reframing them into a positive light.
Surround Yourself with Positivity: Try to avoid fixating on negativities. Instead create a personal space of peace, calm and happiness by starting a new hobby, getting to know new, fun people, environments, which provide you with positive, uplifting feelings. Fully engage in those situations on a regular weekly basis and energize your positive perspective.
Focus on Taks and Solutions: When you face a challenge or obstacle, approach them with a task focused solution-oriented mindset. Instead of dwelling on the problem, focus on brainstorming logical solutions and take proactive steps to address it.
Celebrate the Little Things: Acknowledge and celebrate even the smallest achievements and victories. They contribute to your sense of feeling positive about your accomplishments and, thus, support your overall well-being.
We recommend the following three sources that can support you to become more optimistic.
- Being optimistic when the world around isn’t
- How to train your brain to be more optimistic
- Glass half-full: How I learned to be an optimist in a week
We would be very happy to learn about your suggestions on how to become optimistic in academia.
Anne-Wil Harzing & Christa Sathish.
