Why is Optimism important? Optimism and Delusion

Here’s a video of my friend and colleague Helen Macdonald presenting an interesting take on leadership at TEDxMelbourne: The Balance of Optimism and Delusion.

Her first point is about the epidemic we are all struggling with. An epidemic of positivity. How many times have you been told to look on the bright side of life?

Wise advice? Perhaps not. That can be a delusion. We can fool ourselves into thinking about good things that will make them happen. But that’s not how the world works. Just because I think something doesn’t mean it is going to happen. And of course, bad things do happen to good people – regardless of what they are thinking.

What are we to do instead?

Being Optimistic in Life

Helen suggests the solution is optimism. And the simple reason is that optimism is an action-orientation. It’s not just thinking about what could be, but it’s setting you up to act upon it.

Cleverly, she connects the dots between optimism and opting-in. We opt-in when we choose. Just like opting-in to someone’s email list. It’s not blind positivity. Instead, it’s looking at a choice and taking that choice through action – through opting-in.

Being optimistic in life is a choice. It’s not simply the opposite of being pessimistic – too look for the sad or bad things in life. It’s a lense for looking for opportunities, possibilities and open doors.

For instance, a famous example is the Jamaican bobsled team. Tradition had it they did not belong at the Winter Olympics. They were a warm country and their team had little experience in the cold let alone on a bobsled track. But they captured the world’s attention at the 1988 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. They saw the opportunity and they took it. A supreme example of being optimistic despite the many obstacles in their path.

Optimism is also important in leadership. To read more on leadership check out these posts.