High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 269: How to Be Optimistic

Episode Date: August 15, 2019

“Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow.” - Seth Godin   High performers choose optimism. They fill their mind full of optimism and hope. They see the difference between right now and what it could be. And they explain events in their life with a positive meaning.   Power Phrase this Week: “I am an optimist. I see the possibilities and the good that will happen for me.”

Welcome to High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Do you want to reach your full potential, live a life of passion, go after your dreams? Each week we bring you strategies and interviews to help you ignite your mindset. Let's bring on Sindra. It is time this morning for High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff who joins us in studio. Good morning, Sindra. Good morning. It's great to be here. Great to have you in as we're getting in. Today is day one or possible day one of high school sports practices for fall sports. Yes. So you have football players and cross country and

volleyball tryouts and all of those fall sport things that are going on are getting going today. You probably have some very excited and you also probably have some extremely nervous kids out there that are going to be going in getting involved in sports for the first time or perhaps, you know, playing varsity for the first time or meeting new coaches for the first time. Just a lot of stuff to get kind of processed here on a Monday this time of year. And there's a lot going on. So we're talking about how to be optimistic and a very important trait. And I think we'll learn that here with our quote to start with. So this is a quote by Seth Godin.

He said, optimism is the most important human trait because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and be hopeful for a better tomorrow. Okay, so he says it's the most important. So give us an example to start with. So last week I was speaking at American Family Insurance, and just like other insurance agencies, there's a lot of change. They had a lot of extra claims because of the hail and weather last month. Change in procedures and corporate policies. A lot

of things outside their control and I was just thinking about you know how to be our best and how to thrive in like sales or life or in sports, we have to develop optimism. We have to choose to believe things will get better and we can't be our best selves if we don't. All right, so what are we talking about today? This is something that's actually addressed in your book, right? Yep, it's in practice number three in Beyond Grit.

And what we're talking about is optimism and how that's what makes humans unique. Like my dog or my cat, right? Our animals can't be optimistic, but humans can. And we can be hopeful about the future. And we can start things and stick with them, even though maybe we're not scoring touchdowns at the beginning, right? We can believe that it's going to be worth the effort and we can stay the course.

I might disagree with you. I feel like my dog is optimistic all the time. We're going to a walk, right? She's just always optimistic. But of course, it's not that it's not the processing of it. That's what you're talking about. I get it. Like a butterfly isn't thinking optimistically as it slams into your windshield, right? That's not the whole process. Yeah, the whole process of actually, you know, generalizing the situation doesn't happen for animals like that, like it does for humans. So why is it important to be optimistic? So if you think about any big company that we know today, right, Google or Amazon, for example, they weren't filled with these touchdowns at the beginning. They were

really filled with optimism and optimists, people with vision. And that's why optimism is described as one of the most important human traits, because we can start with something and stick with it. And even if it's not working today, because we believe it's going to work tomorrow. And if it doesn't work tomorrow, we believe that it's going to work next week or next month. So this is like glass half full, glass half empty. Yes. And it really matters, right? It really matters. So here's some research, for example. We know that people who explain

things optimistically are better salespeople. They're more resilient athletes. They have less depression and more motivated to keep going than if you see things more pessimistic perspective. So how can we start to be optimistic more often? So I have two ideas or two ways. So first, I think just knowing that there's going to be a difference right now than what it could be. And, you know, whatever you think about something that you need to be more optimistic about today, something maybe you're struggling with.

And just by knowing that, you know, it can improve and knowing that it's not going to be the same, you know, next week or next month and realize that it can be different and there's a possibility that can be different. It just opens us up to more optimism. All right. Well, what's another way to be more optimistic? Another way to be more optimistic is really how we explain things in our lives, like how we explain events. So, and these could be both positive and negative events. And if an optimist believes that, you know, our success is going to continue, and that's not a fluke, and that good things are going to happen, and it's the good things that happen in our lives aren't because of luck or things outside our control. So just by saying to yourself, like, good things are going to happen, you know, tomorrow's going to be better.

That helps you develop that optimism you need to thrive. All right. So just being persistent with your optimism. Nice. Yes. A good way to put that. So let's summarize today's topic then for those that are maybe grouchily getting out the door and into the car today and heading to work, right? Yeah. Thinking, okay, I'll try this maybe being a little more optimism thing and see how it works for me. Let's summarize today's topic. Okay. So high performers, those people who work in to reach their best every day, they choose optimism. They fill their mind full of belief and hope, and they see the difference between right now and what it could be. And they explain events

in their lives with a positive perspective and meaning. If we follow you on social media, there's always a weekly power phrase. What is our power phrase for this week? I am an optimist. I see the possibilities and the good that will happen for me. Excellent. Now, if we want to get in touch with you or follow you on social media or listen to the podcasts,

which by the way, if you're ever listening to one of these episodes on the radio and you're like, oh, I want to go back and play that for my kids or my husband or my wife or anybody, a friend, they are also available on the radio and you're like, oh, I want to go back and play that for my kids or my husband or my wife or anybody, a friend. They are also available on the podcast. But how do we find all of that stuff in regards to what you're doing? You bet. You can head over to Dr. Sindra, so drcindra.com and you can find the podcast. You can search on High Performance Mindset on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and iHeart Radio too. All right. Very accessible and very available for you there to get going in an optimistic direction

on a Monday morning with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Thanks, Sindra. Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to High Performance Mindset. If you like today's podcast, make a comment, share it with a friend, and join the conversation on Twitter at Mentally Underscore Strong. For more inspiration and to receive Sindra's free weekly videos, check out DrSindra.com.