“Everyone is having trouble so I don’t have a chance and it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.”

Depressing just to read such a statement, isn’t it?

I am sure you have heard plenty of similar statements in the last many weeks. The times are simply crazy. But we can choose how we react to them and control the statements we make! 

For example, a more optimistic statement might have mentioned knowing specific business owners who suffered their worst month ever in October rather than leaping to “everyone” having trouble. It might have mentioned that some businesses are thriving, suggesting that opportunities exist now even with pretty scary facts ringing in our ears. It might have mentioned the speaker’s own track record, strengths or positioning that could lead to opportunities or, at least, an ability to weather the storm.

Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman, examines optimism and pessimism, and shows that the difference involves how each of us tends to explain why good and bad events occur. Explanatory style can be broken down into three components:

• Permanence
• Pervasiveness
• Personalization

Pessimists believe bad things will persist. Optimists expect them to be short-lived.
Pessimists believe bad things happen for broad reasons. Optimists look for specific causes.
Pessimists believe they are personally responsible for bad things. Optimists place the blame elsewhere.

On the flip side:
Pessimists believe good things will evaporate and optimists expect them to continue.
Pessimists believe good things are isolated and local, and optimists expect broad consequences.
Pessimists believe they are just lucky when good things occur, while optimists tend to take credit.

The opening statement of this article exudes the pessimism of a permanant, pervasive and personal condition.

The beauty of Seligman’s book is that he helps us recognize the pessimism in our reactions to events. Recognizing how we react is the first step to changing our reactions. This is the opposite of feel-good, platitude preaching that melts away quickly like cotton candy. Now that I have read this book, I can’t not hear those 3 Ps in action. Furthermore, this book goes on to discuss the benefits of optimism and the important role of pessimism. Informative, fascinating and accessible – I highly recommend Learned Optimism to anyone interested in helping themselves or others have more control over their reactions to the vicissitudes of life.