Daily Inspiration: “An optimist never lets a short season of gloom interfere with a longer scason of opportunity!”

“An optimist never lets a short season of gloom interfere with a longer scason of opportunity!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

I’ve never liked the period of time between the end of ski season and the start of golf; I’ve long called this brief window “The Season of Gloom.” While I joke about it, the fact is I also know I have absolutely nothing to complain about!

But still, it can get pretty grey. This morning, after some radiant sunshine yesterday, features cold sleet, or rain, or something miserable from the sky.

Even so, there is much to be thankful for – for one, the ability to find optimism at any moment in time, because that matters!

A study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that the people who scored highest for optimism in a survey were more likely to live past 90 compared to people who were the least optimistic.

It turns out the 25 percent who were most optimistic had a 10 percent bigger likelihood of getting to beyond 90 than the 25 percent that were the least optimistic.

The research was only observational, meaning it didn’t attempt to explain the underlying causes of this trend.

Past research has found that optimism can confer several physical benefits that may help to offset various diseases.

A study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that the people who scored highest for optimism in a survey were more likely to live past 90 compared to people who were the least optimistic.

It turns out the 25 percent who were most optimistic had a 10 percent bigger likelihood of getting to beyond 90 than the 25 percent that were the least optimistic.

Want to live past 90? Study says optimism could increase your chances by 10%
express.co.uk, 31 October 2022

Optimism is not only about health; it’s also directly related to how we might inspire those around us.

Realistically, we all know that business – and life – will regularly deliver doses of both success and failure.

We also recognize that we are not predisposed to react in a positive, optimistic manner when we experience setbacks. However, studies by noted psychologist Martin Seligman have shown that how we react to such challenges have a significant impact on how our people, in turn, respond.

Optimism: A critical component of successful leadership
6 March 2023, Enterprise

Seligman goes on to note that teams that work for optimistic leaders will spend more time to find the cause of any failure, will learn how to do better the next time around, and can manage their way through unforeseen setbacks. Pessimistic leaders? When faced with a setback, their teams tend to focus on blame, failure, inadequacies and hopelessness! Yikes!

He notes that these respective attributes of optimism and pessimism, while subtle, are nevertheless picked up by our people. Those who work with optimistic leaders tend to more readily focus on solving problems and moving on. Those who work for pessimists often “duck and run for cover” as they feel the sting of general and specific blame.

Optimism: A critical component of successful leadership
6 March 2023, Enterprise

No doubt, the attitude you carry day by day – even through the brief seasons of gloom that you might encounter – matters a lot!

With that, I’ll close off this post – I’m off for my regular morning walk, albeit this morning, in some wonderful cold rain!