The other day, I received an email with the headline “How Confused Optimism Can Kill Your Dreams.” Naturally, I sat up and paid attention because, as a career mentor, I am a big believer in the power of optimism and how it can drive your life and career success. I believe that in order for optimism to help you reach your career success goals you have to be a practicing optimist.
I agree with the premise of the article — confused optimism, believing that things will work out, no matter what is futile. Mindful optimism, believing that you have to do the work necessary to make your optimism come true is another story.
I have The Optimist Creed hanging in my office. I like it so much that I have created a .pdf of it and give it away to my career success coach clients. You can get a free copy to hang in your office at https://budbilanich.com/optimist. Check it out…
The Optimist Creed
Promise Yourself:
- To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
- To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
- To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
- To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
- To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
- To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
- To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
- To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
- To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
- To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
The fourth point of the Optimist Creed, “Promise yourself to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true” can help you avoid becoming a confused optimist.
Optimists think of the glass as half full. A couple of years ago, Cathy and I saw a stage production of the Irving Berlin classic film musical, White Christmas at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. There is a number in the show where one of the leading men is comforting a small girl who is having trouble sleeping. In a song, he tells her, “When you can’t sleep, count your blessings, not sheep.” On the way home, we were talking about that song. We know that we are blessed. However, sometimes we forget how much we are blessed. We both decided that we would begin counting our blessings when we felt a little down and depressed.
Counting your blessings and not sheep is a great first step to “look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.” Realizing that you are blessed and that there is a sunny side is a good first step. However, don’t forget the second part of the quote – “make your optimism come true.”
These last five words are what’s key here. If you want to become the career success you deserve to be, you not only need to be optimistic. You need to do the work necessary to make your optimism come true.
Optimism can put you on the path to success, but hard work is will keep you moving forward. In my book, Straight Talk for Success: Common Sense Ideas That Won’t Let You Down, I talk about the importance of taking personal responsibility for your life and career.
“It’s simple, really. Success is all up to you, and me, and anyone else who wants it. We all have to take personal responsibility for our own success. I am the only one who can make me a success. You are the only one who can make you a success.
“Personal responsibility means recognizing that you are responsible for your life and the choices you make. It means that you realize that while other people and events have an impact on your life, these people and events don’t shape your life. When you accept personal responsibility for your life, you own up to the fact that how you react to people and events is what’s important. And you can choose how you react to every person you meet and everything that happens to you.”
The career mentor point here is simple common sense. Optimism coupled with hard work can help you make your life and career success dreams come true. But you have to avoid becoming a confused optimist. Pay attention to point four in The Optimist Creed. Look at the sunny side of things. Count your blessings. See the glass as half full. Then, take personal responsibility for doing the work necessary to make your optimism and career success dreams come true. Optimism is a great career success catalyst, but it alone will not guarantee your life and career success. You have to do the work – no two ways about it.
That’s my career advice on being a practicing, not confused, optimist. What do you think? Please take a minute to share your thoughts with us in a comment. As always thanks for reading my musings on life and career success. I value you and I appreciate you.
Your career mentor,
Bud
PS: If you haven’t already done so, please download a free copy of my popular career mentor book Success Tweets and its companion piece Success Tweets Explained. One is 140 bits of common sense career advice, all in 140 characters or less. The other is a whopping 390 + pages of career advice explaining each of the common sense tweets in Success Tweets in detail. Go to http://www.SuccessTweets.com to claim your free copy. You’ll also start receiving my daily life and career success quotes.
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