Learned Optimism

Recently a group of agents in my office all raised our hands and took a pledge to be optimistic for one week. Every pessimistic comment required the offender to donate one dollar to our flower fund. One of my friends walked right in and put $5 in the fund because she knew she just couldn't do it. It made me remember a book that was on the best sellers list for quite a long time several years ago. The title of the book is Learned Optimism and the author is Martin E.P. Seligman, and first published in 1990. I included his photo because I love his genuine smile. I never read the book, but the title has stuck with me all these years because I find it very interesting to think that we actually could learn to be optimistic.

Recently stopping at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Cool Springs, I discovered his collection of work, but no Learned Optimism. I purchased another of his books, Authentic Happiness. I am very impressed with Dr. Seligman's work. In my determination to find his 1990 Learned Optimism, I discovered a wealth of information on line. First, you need to know that Dr. Seligman not only copyrighted but developed the concept of "learned optimism". This isn't about the "self esteem" movement, and, in fact, he feels the "self esteem" movement is highly responsible for our nation's epidemic levels of depression and hopelessnes. Do you remember the book "The Little Engine That Could" that taught us to never give up and keep trying to succeed. Well, that's not what children's books are about anymore. He believes that parents still need to be teaching children to set goals, work hard, and feel good about yourself for accomplishing those goals.

Here is Dr. Seligman's formula for overcoming pessimism.

A = Adverse Event or situation

B = Beliefs about the event

C = Consequences of those beliefs

D = Disputation and distraction

E = Energizing

In layman's terms:

A = The thing that is making you so negative (example, "the recession")

B = The recordings that are constantly playing in your head ("I'll never make any money")

C = What will happen to you if you continue to believe this crazy thought (you may actually cause the problem to be worse)

D = Change the recordings in your head and say to yourself "the economy will have to come back someday and when it does, I'll be ready with all these great homes I have listed that are beautiful and priced great," or "I'll update my resume and get a great job".

E = Doing the above will help you break loose from the frozen state you are presently in and cause you to get busy and try to make a living no matter what others are doing or not doing.

By the way, you should really go on line and take some of Dr. Seligman's tests. He has one for determining just how optimistic you are. I discovered that I'm just average. So to improve I took his test called "VIA Survey of Character Strengths." I had no idea there were 24 "character strengths". Check it out because if you know your strengths, you are more likely to be like "The Little Engine That Could"

1. Curiosity/Interest in the World

2. Love of Learning

3. Judgment/Critical Thinking/Open-Mindedness

4. Ingenuity/Originality/Practical Intelligence/Street Smarts

5. Social Intelligence/Personal Intelligence/Emotional Intelligence

6. Perspective

7. Valor and Bravery

8. Perseverance/Industry/Diligence

9. Integrity/Genuineness/Honesty

10.Kindness and Gratitude

11.Loving and Allowing Oneself to be Loved

12.Citizenship/Duty/Teamwork/Loyalty

13.Fairness and Equity

14.Leadership

15.Self-Control

16.Prudence/Discretion/Caution

17.Humility and Modesty

18.Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

19.Gratitude

20.Hope/Optimism/Future-Mindedness

21.Spirituality/Sense of Purpose/Faith/Religiousness

22.Forgiveness and Mercy

23.Playfulness and Humor

24.Zest/Passion/Enthusiasm

The survey isn't to boost your self-esteem. It is designed to help you learn to be better. It ranks you according to your strengths and tells you how to improve your character strengths one by one.

Look at this guy's face. I'm just glad to know that Dr. Seligman and others like him are out there trying to help young people with their problems and depression. People like him give me hope!