Ultimate guide to becoming an optimist

“I think an optimist believes tomorrow can be better than today—and they take an active role in making it so,” wrote Tony Safoian, tech CEO.

Optimism, or the act of being hopeful or confident about the future, can benefit your work, your home life, and your longevity. Optimism is linked to better health, improved immunity, longer life, and greater success in relationships and work, explains Dr. Sue Varma, a psychiatrist, and author of Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being.

A Harvard Medical School study revealed that an optimist’s mindset can help patients get better quicker and stay out of the hospital. In a study of 309 middle-aged patients getting coronary artery bypass surgery, the optimistic patients were half as likely to need rehospitalization than the pessimistic patients.

This seemed to ring true in other medical studies they did. Harvard Medical School also reported that in the 1960s, 839 people completed a psychological test for optimism versus pessimism as well as a complete medical evaluation. Thirty years later all the patients were rechecked and optimism was linked to longevity. “For every 10-point increase in pessimism on the optimism–pessimism test, the mortality rate rose 19%,” the study’s authors explained.

While 25% of optimism is genetic, the rest can be learned. Optimism fosters skills like emotional regulation, resilience, and coping, all of which can be honed and practiced. Whether you are bringing your new optimistic mindset to the workplace or to your life as a whole, there are many tips and tricks to help you better embrace the optimistic lifestyle as well as reap its benefits.

Optimism in the workplace

Glenn Cole, founder of 72andSunny, argued that optimism is a powerful tool for creativity and problem-solving, especially in the business world. However, he clarifies that optimism is not about blind faith or ignoring obstacles—it’s about actively creating conditions for success and inspiring others toward a positive future.

Research proves that optimistic employees are 103% more inspired to give their best efforts at work, explains Safoian. This is why it is important to introduce an optimistic mindset into a work environment right from the start.

Hiring: It’s important to hire people with an optimistic outlook because just like negativity, optimism is contagious. This includes looking for traits in your interviewees such as excitement, a sense of purpose, and an awareness as to why they want to work at your company. Stephanie Vozza, a Fast Company writer complied interview questions from tech recruiters for uncovering leadership qualities in candidates that can also reveal an inherent sense of optimism.

• What are you not getting in your current position that has prompted you to look for a new position?
• What position, if different from the one you are interviewing for, would you like to grow into?
• Are there some employees you don’t like to lead?
• Tell me about ideas that have recently intrigued you.

All these questions will get the interviewee thinking and dig into their passion, skills, and awareness. Even if their answer is “I don’t know,” it’s an authentic and honest answer explained Melissa Maloul, senior director of people operations and culture at Nordis Technologies. “The answer can say a lot about an employee’s character,” Maloul said. “Which can outweigh someone with their future completely mapped out attached to an outcome.”

Circle of influence: Another trick to finding a more optimistic mindset in the workplace is determining the “circle of influence,” a concept established in Stephen Covey’s, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This concept includes the things you can do something about, while your circle of concern is things you have no direct control over (aka the current political climate).

But, by focusing on what you can control, you can indirectly make a greater impact. Safoian uses an example relating to the pandemic. One individual can’t stop or prevent a pandemic, but one individual can do their part by wearing a mask and social distancing, and in time it will and did pay off.

Solutions vs. complaints: Another great workplace tip to live by is thinking in terms of solutions and not complaints. Changes happen all the time no matter what company or industry you are working in and how the employees respond to these changes is what matters. You don’t want a team that complains about a problem, a customer, or a fellow team member just to vent; you want a group of people who will isolate the issue or complaint with the intention and drive to solve it or find a solution.

Even finding a partial solution is a great step forward. Progress doesn’t always have to be massive or immediate. Focus on maintaining momentum—even small steps forward generate more ideas and energy for the team.

Something else to consider, especially if you are a leader, is that it’s not enough to have a positive and clear vision and an optimistic outlook, explained Robert Stiller, the founder of Keurig Green Mountain Coffee. You also need to be able to share it with other people including your investors, shareholders, customers, and employees.

Along the same lines, as a leader, it’s important to curate the work environment positively. One means of doing that is to incorporate play and surprise into the work environment. Teams that plan for fun and creativity maintain an optimistic mindset, even when facing challenging clients or tasks.

Often intention is more powerful than desire. In the book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra, discusses the difference between desire and intention. “People who have an intention to realize something are more likely to be successful,” Stiller wrote. “Either consciously or subconsciously they develop an inner confidence, “knowing” that their goal will be achieved.”

Having that strong intention will help you maintain the state of flow necessary to achieve your goals. Even if there are bumps in the road, knowing what your intention is will help to keep you on track. “It supports your ability to transform possibilities into positive outcomes, part of sustaining an opportunity mindset,” explained Stiller.

Hard as it may be putting aside your fears and believing everyone has the best intentions could go a long way. Assume that everyone involved is working towards the best outcome. Trusting others’ intentions creates a cohesive, collaborative environment and leads to better results.

Sometimes the most important thing is to just try it. Optimism is a practice, and even if it feels difficult, try it. Sometimes simply deciding to adopt a positive perspective can help get you unstuck.

How to become more optimistic

All these tips to incorporate an optimistic mindset into the workplace are great, but if you struggle with just being optimistic in general, there are ways to train yourself to become more optimistic.

ABC Method: One way to remain in a positive mindset is to use the ABC method. This stands for, “an activating event, your belief about what it means, and the consequences of how you react to it.” Vozza used this method in her two-week negativity fast.

This ABC method can be applied in everyday situations such as in traffic. Instead of being mad at the driver who cut you off, you can tell yourself they were rushing because they are attending to an emergency, explained the deputy editor at Fast Company, Kathleen Davis.

3 Blessings: Another exercise from Vozza’s fast was the “three blessings” tactic that was introduced by Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology. This is very similar to gratitude journals in the sense that every day you write down three things you’re grateful for, to remind yourself that there are plenty of things to be grateful for.

Flip negative thoughts: Other methods can also help you change your mindset from pessimism to optimism, shared the author of The Unstoppable Sales Team and The Unstoppable Sales Machine, Shawn Casemore. The first is flipping your negative thoughts. That means changing questions in your mind such as “What’s the worst that could happen?” to something like, “What are the best possible outcomes?”

Share: Another is sharing your optimistic views with others. “When we repeat things out loud, we override the little green negative person who is on our shoulder whispering pessimistic views in our ear,” Casemore wrote.

Watch who you spend time with: This goes hand-in-hand with the next one, which is surrounding yourself with optimistic people and news. But since you can’t simply avoid pessimistic people, this also includes getting into the habit of challenging pessimistic remarks that people make.

Look for purpose: A purpose-driven life leads to greater well-being and longevity. Happiness is passive, whereas purpose empowers us to take action and engage in meaningful activities that bring us joy. Purpose evolves and doesn’t need external validation—it’s about aligning your passions with your actions.

Express yourself: It’s also important to continue expressing your emotions, even if they are not positive all the time. Dr. Varma explained that unexpressed emotions can manifest as physical ailments. Processing emotions by naming, calming, taming, and reframing them is a great strategy to work through them and acknowledge them. Journaling is also a great way to do that and it can help to lower stress and improve overall health.

Self-compassion: Dr. Varma challenged the concept of self-esteem, which is tied to external achievements. Instead, self-compassion—the understanding that struggles are part of being human—promotes well-being.

Optimism isn’t just a mindset, explained Dr. Varma. Although it is partially genetic, 80% is determined by habits, which are shaped by emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. it’s an active practice that leads to exceptional well-being through intentional living, emotional processing, self-compassion, and cultivating healthy habits. No matter if you’re trying to improve your work life or just your life in general, these tips can help you get there.