Debra Kasowski

Why Optimism Beats Pessimism

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You are faced with a variety of life events and circumstances every day. Each event or situation can be viewed in a positive or negative way. Your perspective is your outlook on the world around you. According to psychologists, you are either an optimist viewing the world from the viewpoint of a glass “half-full” or a pessimist viewing the world as a glass “half-empty”. For the most part, you are not happy or sad 100% of the time but you will lean more to one or the other disposition predominantly. Which one are you?

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”
― Noam Chomsky

The Optimist

Optimism is defined as taking on a favorable view of events or circumstances and to expect positive outcomes. Optimistic character symbols are the fish Dory from the Disney Film Finding Nemo with her positive attitude and phrase, “Just Keep Swimming” demonstrating persistence. The Donkey from the movie Shrek does not seem to let anything bother him – everything just rolls off his back. The Disney character Goofy seems to do things without doubting of things with work out; he just does. You may see these characters as overly optimistic but it helps them face any adversity that comes their way.

Optimistic people look for the good in situations and believe that most people’s actions are filled with good intentions. They have a “can-do” attitude and see negative events as a temporary setback and see these hardships as learning opportunities for growth. They persist when faced with adversity. An optimistic person practices gratitude and acknowledges what is going well. They are positive and are confident in their abilities. When optimistic people share the events of their day, they tend to focus on sharing good events over negative ones. Uncertainty does not throw optimists off track; they see unscheduled or unplanned events as an opportunity and adventure to be seized.

The Pessimist

Pessimists are in the state of mind of expecting only the worst outcomes. These people have similar characteristics to the characters of Chicken Little who created a widespread panic that the sky was falling when it was only an acorn that fell, Charlie Brown was full of dread, negativity and worry, and Eeyore who was full of doom and gloom. People with these pessimistic characteristics can wear on the patience of others and suck the energy out of a room.

Pessimistic people believe that negative events were caused by them. What power they have! They believe that one mistake leads to a Domino Effect of mistakes. If something positive was to occur to them like a promotion or winning a prize, they would attribute these successes to luck, chance, or a fluke accident and the likelihood of it ever happening again was nearly impossible.

A pessimist can cause habit in the marketplace, business, or organization. They can negatively influence their employees, colleagues, and co-workers. I have watched this happen and it can move like wildfire. They start demonstrating poor work habits, carelessness, and lack of motivation. They become distracted and disengaged with the people who they are serving. Stress increase as these individuals gossip and complain. Others start to dread coming to work. They see setbacks as permanent and they are less flexible in challenging their perspective. There is increased fear, worry, and anxiety about the future which in turn impacts productivity and performance and thus the bottom line – profits.

Ultimately, optimism beats pessimism. Optimists live longer healthier lives. They have lower stress levels because they do not allow situations and life circumstances to dictate their happiness. They tend to be more successful and have increased productivity. Optimism impacts your overall well-being – it “feels good” to be positive and uplifting.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Way to Beat the Doom and Gloom of Pessimism

  • Challenging assumptions by questioning your thoughts (Is your thought true?)
  • Reframe negative thoughts into positive thoughts
  • Learn from mistakes and adjust your course by doing it again until you get it
  • “Act as if”; be who you need to be now to achieve what you are trying to succeed at. Do not wait to be in the leadership role to become a leader.
  • Look for the good and what you have to be grateful for. The more you are grateful for, the more that will show up in your life to be grateful for.

Each day we have a choice. Which perspective will you choose – the optimist or the pessimist? At the end of the day, optimism beats pessimism. You cannot help wanting to be a part of the positive energy; it contagious. What attitude do you want to spread? How full or empty is your glass?

I believe it is not how full or empty your glass is what determines the quality of your life; it is about the people you meet, the places you travel to, and choices you choose to fill it with. Seize the opportunities live life to its fullest and drink up!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

What Does Gratitude Have to Do with Wealth Building?

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Seriously, what do gratitude and wealth building have in common? The answer is simple – everything.

You may have heard several theories about “vibration” or “energy” in reference to the Law of Attraction and wondered what in the world do they mean by attracting  “like energy”. I am sure you are imagining a magnet pulling you into a never land of fairy tales but it is indeed reality.

The power of wealth building begins in the practice of gratitude. Gratitude attracts wealth.

BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

The practice of gratitude begins with being grateful for all the things you currently have – family, friends, experiences, and even material possessions. Wealth is much more than material things. It is the presence of having a life filled with happiness in being, doing, and having what you want in life. All too often, we fail to recognize our accomplishment because we are busy moving onto the next greatest or exciting item on our agendas. Much of our success has to do with the people around us who have helped us shift our perspective, challenged us to new heights, and helped us see or access resources to reach our goals. Success does not occur in a silo. I believe it is important to celebrate the people who supported you on your journey to where you are today. The scarcity mentality tends to takeover when people start to focus on their lack of abundance. Instead, they should be listing what they are grateful for.

I heard one woman complaining about how she disliked going to networking events because they made her nervous but at the same time, it was the networking that brought her the majority of her clients. Her business hit a plateau as she stopped going as frequently to her networking functions. She focused on what the networking events did not do for her versus what they did do for her.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.

If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
–Oprah Winfrey

APPRECIATE THOSE AROUND YOU

Make things happenYou may have heard the saying that “You are the average of the 5 people you hang around the most.” When you take time to appreciate others for who they are, you make them feel valued and appreciated. Recognize those who have made an impact in your life. From personal experience, I know it can change someone’s life. I sent a card to one of my teachers from long ago. There were many students who thought she was very strict but I saw her as someone who was disciplined and expected our very best. She ended up sending me a thank you card back stating that my card had brought her to tears. After all these years, someone had expressed appreciation and valued her for who she was and not what they thought she should be. How many people in our lives could use some unconditional appreciation?

People want to know that they were more than a transaction in your business world. They want to know that you have their best interest at heart. When express gratitude and appreciation, you can make a person feel like they are the most important person in the world. You can begin doing this by being full present and giving your time and attention to one person and finding out how you can serve them or support them in their personal journey. Guaranteed through consistent practice they will start referring people to you to do business with – people remember how you made them feel. There are businesses like SendOutCards that have been built by the prompting of expressing gratitude.(If you follow the link and do business, I may make a money. You do have the option to go to the site yourself.)

MEASURE WHAT YOU WANT MORE OF

You may think of money and finances when you hear of measuring what you want more of, however; the same holds true for expressing gratitude. Make a list of things you are grateful for or write out what you are grateful for in a journal.

SPEAK OF GRATITUDE WHEN YOU SHARE YOUR STORY

Complaining, blaming, or venting bring the tidal wave of negative energy so to speak. You may wonder why some people seem more abundant than others. The way you speak about yourself and others and your story tells a great deal about your character. I am not saying that everything needs to be sunshine, roses, and unicorns as I know that heartbreaking events can occur in life. Think about how you speak to others or about others. You may not think people are watching or paying attention to the was you act or do business. Guess what? They are paying attention and they do share what they see with others. Customers are attracted to the attitude of gratitude – someone who speaks with integrity and confidence about their vision.

You will attract others who are grateful and see abundance. Your network will expand and so will you network and the richness of the experience you have in your life.

How has gratitude impacted the wealth in your life?

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” — Christiane Northrup

Filling Your Pipeline with Quality Referrals

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Think about this: if you want to hire the best relocating company for your moving needs, you’d ask your colleagues, friends or associates to give you details of a moving company they recommend. It is the same with your business, to stay afloat, your business needs to be constantly getting new referrals.  Here are some of the things you can do to fill your pipeline with quality referrals:

Deliver on your promises

To gain quality referrals you need to be referable.   Give your customers high quality services that will cause them to give you unsolicited publicity.

Courtesy of ImageryMajestic/freedigitalphotos.net
Courtesy of ImageryMajestic/freedigitalphotos.net

Make your prospects feel special

Take a personal approach when you connect with potential customers. Make them feel special by sending them personalized emails, letters, postcards or direct messages on social media sites.

Collaborate with other specialists

The easiest way to get referrals is by holding collaborative webinars with specialists in your area of business. Partnering with specialists will help your nurture relationships with potential customers which can help you generate high-quality referrals.

Do not wait until the drought season before you ask for referrals

Do not wait for your pipeline to be dry before you ask for referrals.  For your business to have high quality referrals, create a consistent referral system. This is how you can create a consistent referral system:

1) Exchange referrals with credible service providers

Ask your affiliates or business connections to refer your services to their clients as you refer their services to your clients.

2) Show gratitude

Send thank you messages or complimentary gifts to your referential sources.

3) Create multiple referential methods

Some of your clients may not be comfortable with asking people to use your services. You can ask this type of clients to write testimonials about your services. You can create links in your emails that can be easily used to share your content on social networking sites.

4) Ask for referrals

If you are uncomfortable about asking for referrals, you will have a hard time having high quality referrals.  You are in business, so let people know that you have competitive services to offers. If you generate website traffic mostly from Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, ask people in your network to re-tweet or share your messages.

Remember you don’t have to wait until your pipeline is dry.  Do one thing each day to make sure you fill your pipeline with quality referrals.

How do you fill your pipeline of referrals? Share this post and comment on how build your pipeline made a difference in your business.