It’s common for people to focus on the negative elements of a situation first, before considering potentially positive aspects. Our minds are designed to identify potential dangers and pitfalls, but when you’re always looking at the worst-case scenario, that innate skepticism can harden into cynicism and a bleak outlook that is hard to lose.
However, the mind can be trained to see things from a more optimistic point of view, and learning how to see the glass as half full rather than half empty can have lasting benefits. Here, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council share some clever methods to help professionals switch from a pessimistic outlook to a more optimistic one.
Forbes Coaches Council members share clever ways for pessimists to switch to a more positive point of view.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Distance Yourself From Small Issues And Practice Gratitude
I have a two-step method. First, remember that you live on a floating rock in space. This allows you to distance yourself from the small, day-to-day issues. Second, practice daily gratitude for what you have. Focus your mind on different thoughts to create a different reality. - Alex Kergall, Alex Kergall
2. Acknowledge Your View As One Of Many Possibilities
This is not a simple task for those who are naturally pessimistic. Start by acknowledging the validity of your pessimistic outlook. It can serve us well—it prepares us for the worst, protects our emotions and sets expectations low. Then, frame your outlook as one possibility. The future is unknown, so what other possibilities exist? Could another also be realistic? This will begin to challenge your mindset. - Kristin Sistos, Percheron Consulting
3. Reframe By Changing The Language You Use
Reframing by changing the language we use is a great way to switch our outlook on life. It’s very much what I focus on when working with my clients. For example, instead of apologizing for being late for a meeting, it’s better to say, “Thank you for waiting for me.” Words of gratitude can have an uplifting and positive effect on ourselves, as well as those to whom they are spoken. - Dr. Rakish Rana, The Clear Coach
4. Remind Yourself Of A Powerful Quote
The go-to hack that helps me transition into a more optimistic point of view is to remind myself of a quote from Byron Katie, “Everything is happening for me, not to me.” When I sink into the truth of these words, I no longer view myself as a victim—immediately, I become empowered. I know that whatever is happening at the moment, good or bad, is shaping me into the person I am meant to be. - Beth Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Coaching and Consulting
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
5. Upgrade Responses, Focus On Positive
When someone asks how you are, I recommend consistently upgrading your answer—from okay to great, for example. Also, when facing a challenge and your inner critic speaks up spewing pessimism, thank him for his contribution and immediately ask yourself, “What is one positive aspect of the situation we face?” Before long, these two simple changes will allow you greater awareness and, ultimately, mental control. - Ron N Hurst, Developing Leaders
6. Use Pessimism Wisely
Well-used, pessimism allows you to serve your ambitions advantageously by forcing you to show initiative and imagination to overcome obstacles. Pessimism pushes us to our limits and allows us to mobilize all our resources. Lucidity, anticipation and imagination are the virtues of a selective pessimism put at the service of a more optimistic point of view of life. - Andre Shojaie, City of Montreal
7. Train Yourself To Look For The Positives In Life
Being an optimist is all about your outlook on life and how you view the things that occur to you. Train yourself to regularly look for the positives in life. Consider actively listing them out daily. - Luke Feldmeier, Online Leadership Training - Career and Leadership Accelerator for Engineers
8. Handwrite Answers To These Two Questions
When you feel negative, handwrite answers to these questions: “What am I thinking?” “What am I feeling?” Don’t censor your responses. Doing this will help you quickly notice your emotions and any negative self-talk. Then, write down evidence to support and refute your perspective. This will help you to see how you’re framing the situation and challenge you to reframe it. - Neena Newberry, Newberry Solutions
9. Make Today Count
My mother and father passed away within a 116-day time frame. When you realize that life is finite and precious, it’s best to focus on living, breathing and appreciating each moment. No one is ever guaranteed another day—so make today count. Be daring. Smile more. Give more. Serve more. - Christopher Kai, The Mathem Group
10. Carry A Picture That Brings You Joy
Many of my military friends who have been deployed carry a family picture with them in all that they do—it’s waterproof. Similarly, carry a joyous picture of your human family or perhaps you and your pet. Waterproof it and pull it out when you need a surge of optimism. It works during wars and conflicts, and it will work during the conflicts in your life and mind. - John M. O’Connor, Career Pro Inc.
11. Exercise Control Over Your Thoughts
I coach my clients to try to exercise control over their thoughts. Sometimes, we have thoughts we cannot control. However, much of the time, we can create either a positive or negative inner dialogue. For example, instead of thinking “I’m going to fail,” I think, “I’m going to try this, and if I don’t succeed, I’ll learn something from it.” - Lee Beaser, The Career Counter
12. Take A Longer-Term Outlook On Your Life
Remember a time in your life that you thought was negative but turned out to be a blessing or learning that benefited you. How are most negative situations a blessing or a lesson? Be grateful for how a negative situation wasn’t worse—a bad cold could have been Covid, for example. Focus on your strength to deal with adversity and build confidence. - Mark Samuel, IMPAQ Corporation
13. Process The Source Of Negative Emotion
The shift from pessimism to optimism is more of an emotional shift than a cognitive warp. One clever hack for a coach is to work with the client to “process” the source of negative emotion and visualize the “ascent” from pessimism to optimism. This means tapping into the alignment of purpose and activating motivation to overcome both the internal inner landscape and the external environment. - Thomas Lim, Singapore Public Service, SportSG
14. Remember That Your Situation Is Not Forever
It’s just a moment in time. When you face challenges, it’s easy to think you’ll feel horrible forever and won’t determine a way out. So, you might feel overwhelmed when you have no clue how to possibly move forward. But this situation isn’t your new normal. Viewing it from this perspective will help you feel calmer and have access to more solutions in life. - Rosie Guagliardo, InnerBrilliance Coaching
15. Find A Mentor Who Can Be A Mirror
When you are pessimistic, you most likely wouldn’t know you are because you are not aware of your own behaviors and thoughts. For the pessimists, find a mentor willing to be your mirror, from whom you will accept feedback so you can distance yourself from your own story and thoughts. Imagine you are looking at yourself from a third-person’s perspective. - Able Wanamakok, Find Your Voice Asia
