The Optimism Advantage

“For myself I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else.“ Winston Churchill,1954

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: The King of Optimism

Competency: self-development

Who benefits: you

Consultant Usage: all forms of coaching and career counseling; interesting stories to quote in training classes

What’s it about? Before launching into today’s topic full force, let me share a (very) true story about my early (very early) school years.  I was in middle school, a rather middling student.  I came home one day particularly dejected.  My mom asked me what was the matter.  I replied, “We had some tests today and I don’t think I did very well.”  She responded with “Now you have got to be more positive than that.”  “Okay”, I said.  “I am positive that I didn’t do very well.”  That would be, I suppose, negative optimism.

Today’s topic is about the impact of positive optimism as told by the world’s most optimistic man.  His name is Terry Paulson, he is a close friend, and he has earned the title of “King of Optimism” by generously funding my retirement plan beginning with my first year of semi-retirement years ago.  He makes this donation in November of each year at the conclusion of the annual UCLA-USC football game at which time his Optimism has lost to my Trojans.

But let us not linger on his unbridled sporting optimism.  Rather let us tarry on Terry’s take on the topic of Optimism as a fitting subject of study. Terry has just publish a new book on the topic called The Optimism Advantage: 50 Simple Truths to Transform Your Attitudes and Actions into Results.

The first thing I liked about Terry’s book is something I have modified slightly to call the “No Coddling Rule”.  He is absolute in his insistence that personal growth and personal development come from within and not from some external wish list.  When I was in the midst of my career, I was often involved in some form of counseling.  If this book had been written back then, I would have copied Terry’s first chapter to give those receiving counseling and telling them to read it and sign it before any counseling begins.  It would have save countless lost hours trying to get people to take accountability for their own actions.

What Terry does best are two things: tell great stories with pity points and use humor to get a message across.  Going back to the last century, the ‘70s to be more specific, I heard his “Bags to Japan” story that may be the greatest teaching story ever told.  The teaching point of that story has served me well as has his “If someone calls you a horse’s ass (original version)” story that has given me great and continuous insight.  This book is filled with stories and humor like that, that will have lasting impact on a studious reader.

This book has one of those unforgettable, insightful, blow your socks off (with apologies to Chip Bell) stories.  It’s buried in the middle of the book.  I almost missed it.  I was reading fast when something caught my eye.  I stopped and reread what I had just passed over.  It was only two sentences in length, but I had to stop reading and think about the implications.  I went to another chair and thought about it for a full five minutes.  It is about a WWII correspondent and a nun.  You will have to read the book if you want it.

There are other stories: Michael J. Fox, Phil Jackson on highs and lows, a powerful analysis of the negativity of the “news” media and its effect on our character; regular people helping aid victims of Hurricane Katrina; Maya Angelou; John Wooden; Lee Child.  His story of frumpy, middle-aged Scottish church volunteer Susan Boyles singing “I have a dream” and shocking the TV world – hits home;

There are, of course, the 50 truths.  There is likely at least one “truth” in the batch for each of us.  For me, Truth #8, “No Dream Will Work Unless You Do” and Truth #10: “Live a Mission That Taps Your Purpose, and Work Ceases to Be Work” resonated with me.

Finally, the book is filled with quotes from the ages.  I didn’t count, but there are hundreds.  I like reading quotes, especially when they make me chuckle.  Here are two of my favorite from the book:

While living in California’s gold country, celebrated American author Mark Twain advised, “When everybody is out digging for gold, the business to be in is selling shovels.”

“The search for someone to blame is always successful” Robert Half.

You can get more of Terry at http://www.terrypaulson.com/optimism including a free video series on optimism (to view a video on this page, click on the duct tape across his mouth…humor!), free articles and his new Optimism Blog (both located near the bottom of the page). 

Before closing, I can’t resist adding some quotes I have collected over the years about optimism.  (And Terry, if you read this, feel free to add any that might be useful to your new Blog.)  They are supposed to make you chuckle.

“If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.” Muhammed Ali

“If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance.” Unknown Author

“The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser – in case you thought optimism was dead.”  Robert Brault

“Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society.  The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute.”  Gil Stern

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.”  Irv Kupcinet

“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”  James Branch Cabell

“Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn’t expect to be paid back.”  Author Unknown

“A pessimist’s blood type is always b-negative.” submitted by P.Katz

“If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be”. Yogi Berra

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill

“I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.” Steven Wright

“Catch you later.” Me

[tags]optimism, optimistic, optimism advantage, lessons in leadership, self-development, paulson, terry paulson, dr. terry paulson, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.