What is optimism and how to be more optimistic?

How is your day going so far?
Take a moment to think about some of the things that have happened to you today.

You can use a pen and paper to write down a few specific events.

Were they mostly positive things, like: “My day is great! I had lunch with my friends. I closed an important deal with a new client.”

Or did you focus on what went wrong: “My day is not the best! My friends wasted the entire lunch break talking about boring things. My client gave me a lot of headaches this week, and it took me an extra hour to finalize the contract.”

From my perspective, optimism means consciously choosing to focus on the full side of the glass rather than the empty one.

Table of contents:

How to be more optimistic
What is optimism
Why be optimistic
Ways to be more optimistic
How does optimism help you achieve your goals
Tips for managing and achieving goals

How to be more optimistic

This does not mean ignoring the empty side, but rather focusing more on the positive aspects than the negative ones. For example, you choose to learn from a “failure” instead of complaining about it.

Life comes with both good and bad moments.

I believe they go hand in hand. You cannot truly appreciate something beautiful in your life if you have not also experienced difficult moments.

What matters is how you choose to react to unpleasant situations: more like an optimist or a pessimist? I don’t exclude the realist in either case.

I have chosen to be an optimistic realist in life. 🙂

What is optimism?

Optimism is a mental attitude characterized by hope and confidence in success and a positive future.

Optimists expect good things to happen, while pessimists anticipate unfavorable outcomes.

Why be optimistic?

Optimistic attitudes are linked to a series of benefits, including better coping skills, lower stress levels, improved physical health, and greater perseverance in achieving goals.

Being optimistic can greatly improve your life. It helps you handle challenges better, reduce stress, and stay motivated. Optimistic people focus on solutions rather than problems, which makes them more resilient. They are also more likely to take action and work towards their goals, believing that success is possible.

Optimism can improve relationships, as positive people attract others and create uplifting environments. It even benefits physical health, boosting the immune system and increasing longevity. While life has ups and downs, choosing to see opportunities instead of obstacles makes a huge difference.

Optimism doesn’t ignore reality—it helps you face it with confidence and hope.

How can you become more of an optimist than a pessimist?

Optimism is a way of thinking that can be learned, meaning pessimism can be unlearned. It may take time, but don’t get discouraged. Becoming aware of both styles can help you start noticing more ways to be optimistic.

Remember, reality always remains present in our lives.

Ways to be more optimistic:

Train your mind to believe that you can make good things happen in your personal and professional life. Tell yourself specific things you can do to succeed: “If I delegate more, I will be able to grow my business and team.”
Pay attention to how you talk to yourself and remember that failures are temporary. What does your inner voice say when things don’t go as planned? Instead of thinking, “I lost this contract because I’m bad at negotiations,” say, “I lost this contract because I wasn’t well-prepared for the client meeting. That won’t happen next time.”
Give yourself credit for good things. Think about what you did to make a positive outcome possible. Consider the strengths you used and how they help you succeed. This is closely related to self-esteem.

How does optimism help you achieve your goals?

Studies have shown that overly optimistic people may fail to reach their goals.

So, does that mean optimism isn’t good?

Yes, it is!

Optimism and confidence in your abilities will definitely help you achieve your goals. However, to succeed and reach your objectives, you need to be an optimistic realist.

You must realistically assess all the potential challenges that may arise in difficult situations.

While optimistic leaders set bold goals and inspire their teams to achieve monumental success, optimistic realists not only set ambitious goals and inspire their teams but also recognize the scale of upcoming challenges and plan accordingly.

This increases the chances of success.

Optimistic realism allows leaders to balance their passion for achieving results with a realistic evaluation of how to do so effectively.

Tips for managing and achieving goals as an optimistic realist:

Set realistic goals
Don’t set goals that are too hard to reach. Don’t try to be perfect; instead, improve step by step. Occasionally take a step back to measure progress and adjust your goals if necessary.
Develop a problem-solving attitude
Optimistic realists generally stay calm and balanced in difficult situations and approach problems with a determined attitude to solve them.
Break down goals into quarterly, monthly, or weekly achievements.
Be realistic
Optimistic realists see things as they truly are, not just as they wish them to be.
Evaluate each idea, consider the pros and cons, and then draw a conclusion.
Communicate constantly
Successful leaders not only set goals but also involve all stakeholders and continuously communicate objectives and achievements.
Learn continuously
Optimistic realists see an opportunity to learn in every situation.
Measure results regularly and see what actions you can take for self-improvement.