Possibility = Optimism + Resilience
Yes, sir. Many years ago, I decided to be in a good mood today.
— Zig Ziglar
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko performing in Chameleon
In a recent New York Times article, Nigerian American artist Jaamil Olawale Kosoko spoke about how he had reconfigured his new work Chameleon to a day-long virtual experience “for idea sharing, for resources sharing, and hopefully for healing.” Performance venue NY Live Arts describes the work as a site of ecstatic spiritual fantasy in which an ever–present experience of grief is punctuated by moments of beauty, care, and pleasure. Kosoko said that “we need possibility in this moment … a space to dream, to imagine, and to do that in community.”
As I read his interview, I was struck by his deep desire to invite people into a future of possibility—a space to adapt to the present while transforming into a new future.
The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today.
— Les Brown
Nurturing Possibility
How is it possible to stay optimistic during this pandemic?
Possibilities are nurtured through an optimistic mindset—one that propels us to take action. We are bombarded with news cycles displaying numbers of infected, hospitalized and deaths. Job losses have risen to an unprecedented level and economic distress is rampant. Information inconsistent or unclear, leadership at the highest levels lacking, food lines insane, farmers dumping crops—the list goes on and on.
Yet optimism lives. We see it in the stories of sacrifice, giving, and support, and particularly in our healthcare workers, who live and breathe through filters of positive belief and action.
Our brains have an extraordinary ability to learn, improvise, and adapt, so we can transform ourselves and our circumstances. This ability, known as neuroplasticity, is our neural network connecting and adjusting to evolve our thoughts and behavior. What drives this function: optimism.
Optimism
Positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, calls the way we interpret events our explanatory style. These styles refer to how our internal dialogue explains setbacks. Optimism, Seligman says is external, unstable, and specific. Which means that it’s not all your fault, the situation can be changed, and won’t negatively impact all areas of your life. Pessimism is the opposite.
I can't be a pessimist because I'm alive. To be a pessimist means that you have agreed that human life is an academic matter. So I am forced to be an optimist, I am forced to believe that we can survive, whatever we must survive.
― James Baldwin
Optimists see bad events as temporary setbacks that can be overcome by their effort and abilities. When we choose to see problems as temporary, we can stop the cycle of negative tapes that run through our heads. We can engage in active hope—not merely wishful thinking. Optimism is an attitude of persistence. Pessimists react to setbacks with what Seligman calls “learned helplessness.” They feel that bad events are their fault, will last a long time, and will undermine everything they do. Pessimism, if learned, can be unlearned.
How many traits can you check off?
Optimists are more likely to:
Ask for help
Seek information, using it to their advantage.
Be more approach-oriented, so they walk towards the problem
Accept the aspects of the situation that they can’t control
Come up with strategies to affect change and take action
See a situation as a challenge, not a threat
Use humor as a way to cope
Have more positive emotion
Optimism as a Steppingstone to Resilience
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania, Positive Psychology Center
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity and negative emotional experiences. Optimism contributes to resilience and is key to how we adapt to stressful situations. When confronting challenges, optimists show more resilience, even if progress is difficult and slow. There is a reciprocal relationship between these two: optimism leads to resilience and resilience results in more optimism.
A resilient leader has a high level of self-awareness, is flexible and adaptive in thinking, displays courage and emotional strength, and optimism. Assuming a resilient posture as a leader means embracing uncertainty and vulnerability in every learning experience.
Let optimism be your instrument of resilience. Be brave. Be bold. This very moment is your invitation to the future.
