With a twinge of nostalgia for our years in the nation's capital, I accepted the offer of free Washington Post excerpts delivered to my inbox. The daily summaries are OK, but mostly I skim them and delete. Then one Sunday I noticed a different subject line: The Optimist. After a glance, I was hooked. Every Sunday, the Washington Post scours the week and sends out happy headlines. On the seventh day, we get good news. I celebrate that observance of the Sabbath.
A few years ago, I wrote several Reflections based on Martin Seligman's groundbreaking treatise, Learned Optimism. After years of study and therapeutic practice, he found the field of psychology excessively gloomy, focusing its view on pathology and maladjustment. When he looked closer at the human condition, he decided to expand the "what's right" side of the equation, giving birth to a field now known as Positive Psychology. It turns out that seeing the brighter side, while easier for some than for others, is a habit that can be learned with conscious intent. And when we improve our outlook, some amazing things happen.
- Optimists get more done than pessimists because they take action without obsessing over unlikely worst-case scenarios.
- Optimists are healthier than pessimists because they don't flood their systems with the stress hormones triggered by constant fretting. As a result, they have healthier immune systems and rebound more quickly from physical ailments.
- Optimists learn from setbacks and move forward, while pessimists bog down and give up.
Optimism does not deny the reality of disease, suffering, or failure but it refuses to cave in when those conditions raise their heads. Optimism looks for the path around, over, or through the bad news. Optimism is always on the alert for lessons to be learned and applied the next time around.
I give thanks for Sundays with the Washington Post. The Optimist features stories about those who see opportunity in even the most desperate circumstances, and who take steps in the direction of a better way. I want to live that model in my own life, and I suspect that you do too.
What habits help you identify, celebrate, and build upon those things that are working well? How about counting your blessings on rising and reviewing the day's positive experiences before going to sleep?
