« Is Your Blog A Force for Good or Awesome? | Home | How to Scold Professionals Effectively »

Outlook on Optimism in 2008: Not Good

By crooky | August 19, 2008

No, this isn’t an article about Obama. A recent study has shown that hope, not optimism, is an effective way to combat depression. [READ]. I want to extend this finding to the realm of social isolation - a plague in our society that I believe causes more depression and illness than any other source. If you accept this hypothesis, then hope is an effective way to combat social isolation. I’ve been writing a bit about social isolation and its impact on small business owners. [READ]

In the article quoted above, Dr. Cheavens says:

“Hope is different from optimism, which is a generalized expectancy that good things will happen. Hope involves having goals, along with the desire and plan to achieve them.”

I think this distinction is the key. I always say you can wish in one hand and spit in the other and see which one fills up first. While it may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, this theory proves that when people come up with a plan of action to get themselves out of their funk, they quite frequently get out of their funk.

Here are some suggestions for ditching your personal optimism in favour of hope:

1. Loneliness

The sad-sack optimist says:

“I’m sure I’ll get some friends at some point.”
After which, the optimist goes back to masturbating while watching America’s Got Talent and eating Doritos.

The carpe diem-oriented hope-monger says:

“Man, I’m lonely. I’m going to join Toastmasters to meet some new people and learn a skill.”

2. Financial Success

The self-ham-stringing optimist says:

“I just read the Millionaire Mind and it says if I think like a rich person, I’ll get rich! Here I go… thinking about being rich… any minute now…. yeah. Feeling richer already.”
Just wait and see how rich they feel when they see the Visa bill that includes their Millionaire Mind motivational seminar fee.

The hope-a-matic miracle machine says:

“Hmmm… I’m not making as much money as I’d like. Maybe I should market myself more effectively, follow up on leads, get out there and network and spruce up my website.”

3. Assets

Cleopatra, the Queen of Denial (Optimist) says:

“I’m sure I’ll be a home owner within the next three years. The market is going down!”

Bob HOPE says:

“I just flew back from the bank and boy, are my arms tired! Turns out that if I keep socking money away in my RRSPs, I can borrow against them for my downpayment on a home at a later date, interest free!”

I think you get the idea. Optimism is a close cousin to Naivety. Hope is more like a plan of attack that you expect to succeed at. If you want to end your social isolation, you can’t wish it away. You need to come up with a plan of action and do something about it. Yes, some of the potential solutions might put you outside your comfort zone but the positive outcomes will be worth it.

*********************
Aaron “Crooky” Cruikshank is the Principal and Founder of Friuch Consulting. He has written professionally about science and technology for over ten years.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Topics: Business of Consulting, social issues |

Comments