Facing uncertainty with optimism
“Optimism is the one quality more associated with happiness and success than any other”
I work and connect with a lot of business owners (from micro to global) and leaders through my coaching and training. One thing that connects all of these is the fact that much of their life is a rollercoaster and they deal with a lot of uncertainty.
We can say that it's just work, it doesn't impact life outside of work but the reality is that when you are self employed, when you start your own business, or when you are a leader of people it is difficult for the up and downs to not have some sort of presence in all aspects of your life.
Uncertainty is around all of us. As much as we may wish to we cannot control every aspect of our lives. The past few years have really highlighted this to everyone.
Uncertainty can cause stress, doubt and can lead to mental health challenges.
Dealing with uncertainty is a huge tool for anyone, and particularly those with greater levels of responsibility, whether your own business or within your organisation.
A neuroscience trait that can help us to deal better with uncertainty, and that leaders and entrepreneurs tend to possess, is optimism bias.
This is effectively the belief in your own capability (often that you have more positive traits than the average person) and that the universe is looking out for you...Now that last bit may sound a little woo woo, but I've seen it myself.
Because if you optimistically believe that positive things will happen, it motivates you to try harder which make the positive outcome more likely.
What's more when we expect positive situations we feel happier, impacting on both our momentum and our wellbeing.
I am optimistically biased but I haven't always been. I used to constantly fight the imposter, worried I would fail, worried I would be exposed for the imposter I really was.
Research shows that optimism is a both nature and nurture, so it is possible to increase our optimism with a few changes in mindset.
Keep a list of your achievements. Our mind has a habit to focus on negative thoughts, it helps to build evidence to prove and build our optimism.
Try keeping a gratitude journal
Keep learning, whether reading, training, podcasts or self awareness it can all encourage inspiration
Practice learning from failure - how could you do better next time? What would you change? How can you see this as a learning opportunity?
Take measured risks, steps out of the comfort zone, increasing your belief in your ability.
Frame positive as permanent "I did well in that presentation because I am a good speaker", and negatives as temporary and that can be changed for example "That project failed because I didn’t put enough time into it"
PS... too much optimism can also be a negative. It's important to match the optimism and affirmations with effort and research of risks.
Need further support? Why not organise a free chat with me to see if coaching would give you the push you need right now.
