As we approach the end of 2016, and the fresh start of a new year, there is a sense of excitement in everything that we do. We set new goals and leave the troubles of the past year behind us. This lasts for a month, or maybe two, before we lose our enthusiasm and slide back into our mundane day-to-day routine. Changing this mentality starts with perspective. For me, every day is a chance to start anew and put the past in the rear view mirror.
I am certainly not a psychologist or anyone closely resembling a human behavior expert. However, I have done a lot of living and this phenomenon of falling off the enthusiasm bandwagon has happened to me. I experienced it in everything from failed business deals to broken personal relationships and even my favorite sports teams losing the big games.
‘Irrepressible optimism’ is a term I heard Condoleeza Rice use during a Global Leadership Summit. It made a profound impression on me and I have used that term a few times with my team since then.
According to the World English Dictionary, this is the definition of irrepressible:
ir·re·press·ible
[ˌɪrɪˈprɛsəb ə l] adj
not capable of being repressed, controlled, or restrained
According to Dictionary.com this is the definition of optimism:
op·ti·mism
[op-tuh-miz-uhm] noun
1. a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.
2. the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.
3. the belief that goodness pervades reality.
4. the doctrine that the existing world is the best of all possible worlds.
I am a strong advocate of irrepressible optimism. The term can be misinterpreted as being unrealistic, but I believe injecting realism and truth into the term lends it great credibility. I often say that I believe there is an upside in every situation, but that doesn’t mean I condone judgment of a situation without analysis or decision-making. I believe that irrepressible optimism should only occur after obtaining a solid knowledge base of what is happening. I believe that anything short of that is ‘irresponsible’ optimism and simple foolishness.
I believe that we fall off of the enthusiasm bandwagon because we are not focusing on being irrepressibly optimistic. The reality of life, whether at work, or at play, is that there is always a way to look at things from a positive perspective.
If we view all that is happening to us as an opportunity to learn and grow, regardless of the emotional state, we will gain from every experience. It isn’t always an easy thing to do, but most of what is worth attaining is difficult.
Ask yourself these questions:
Is your plan based on a “New Year’s Resolution”?
Are you being disciplined about your goal setting and goal attainment?
Are you moving forward step-by-step toward attaining your goals?
Answer these questions honestly. Some of us tossed our plans out of the window and decided to wait until next year. Others tried to stay on track, but were discouraged by roadblocks throughout the year. The key to irrepressible optimism is keeping our goals in perspective and recognizing each day as a new beginning. Don’t wait until January, 1 2017 to start anew, your path to irrepressibly optimistic success starts today.