September 9, 2025 • 33 mins
Pragmatic optimism combines positive expectations with realistic action, creating a powerful mindset that transforms how we approach challenges and improves health, relationships, and goal achievement.
• Optimism and pessimism exist on a spectrum that deals with our expectations and hope for outcomes
• The realistic-idealistic spectrum is separate and deals with our assessment of reality
• Pragmatic optimism merges optimism with realism and practical action
• Martin Seligman's research shows optimism is a learnable skill based on our "explanatory style"
• Pessimists view setbacks as permanent, pervasive, and personal
• Optimists see challenges as temporary, specific, and nuanced with both internal/external factors
• Studies show optimists have better cardiovascular health and live 11-15% longer
• Optimists experience less stress, stronger immune systems, and better mental health
• Benefits include greater persistence, proactive goal-setting, opportunity focus, enhanced happiness
• Cultivate pragmatic optimism by challenging assumptions, focusing on what you can control
• Practice the ABCDE method: Adversity, Beliefs, Consequences, Dispute, Energy
• Pessimism still has appropriate uses for acknowledging tragedy or identifying potential problems
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Sage Solutions Podcast, where we talk
about all things personalgrowth, personal development and
becoming your best self.
My name is David Sage and I ama self-worth and confidence
coach with Sage CoachingSolutions.
With Sage Coaching Solutions, Iam thrilled that you're here
(00:30):
joining me today, becausetoday's topic is one that I've
been looking forward to doingfor quite a while now.
We're about to take a deep diveinto a topic that really does
honestly have the power toreshape your entire perspective
and, from there, the way thatyou view your life.
We're talking about a conceptthat I've been calling pragmatic
(00:53):
optimism.
But before we get into it, ourgoal with this podcast is to
share free, helpful tools withyou and anyone you know who is
looking to improve their life.
So take action, subscribe andshare this podcast with them.
So just be positive.
(01:18):
Well, thank you for coming tothe Sage.
Just kidding, I'm not justanother positivity guru here to
tell you that everything isgreat and sunshine and rainbows,
and just think happy thoughts.
Okay, now, before you think,here comes another positivity
(01:40):
guru just telling me to thinkhappy thoughts and just be
positive.
If you give me a few minutes,you'll see that that is not what
I'm talking about, because whatwe're discussing today is far
more nuanced we embrace shadesof gray on this podcast and not
(02:04):
just nuanced, it's far morepowerful and it's backed by some
incredible research.
This isn't about putting onrose-colored glasses and
ignoring reality or pretendingthat everything is always good
and happy.
It's more like putting on yourwork boots, acknowledging the
terrain ahead and beingconfident in your ability to
(02:26):
navigate it.
It's not ignoring challenges.
It's about facing them with aresilient, solution-oriented
mindset.
Is the glass half full or isthe glass half empty, empty?
(02:50):
This is often what optimism andpessimism are boiled down to,
and, frankly, it's way morecomplicated than that.
Many of us, when we hear theword optimism, immediately
picture someone with their headin the clouds maybe a little
naive, always seeing the glasshalf full, maybe a little naive,
always seeing the glass halffull, even when it's straight up
empty.
And then there's pessimism, theperpetual worrier, the Eeyore
(03:13):
in our lives, the one who alwaysexpects the worst.
We often see these two as twoends of a simple spectrum, but
that's not how reality works Inreal life.
There's shades of gray, whichis why that's an incomplete
picture.
(03:34):
To start with, pessimism tooptimism if we boil them down to
their coreism is about positiveframing, hope and a belief that
things will go well, at leastin its purest form, at its
(03:56):
extreme.
It's also associated with apositive attitude, an internal
locus of control, giving lowweight to bad things and high
weight to good things, makingthe most of every situation,
taking action, planning, agency,curiosity, a growth mindset,
(04:19):
believing in yourself and inothers.
They're associated with beingeasygoing, confident, with
believing in abundance andhaving courage.
Let's turn it to pessimism.
Pessimism uses negative framing, often a feeling of
(04:40):
hopelessness and a belief thatthings won't go well, of
hopelessness and a belief thatthings won't go well.
It's also associated with anegative attitude, an external
locus of control, high weight tobad things and a low weight to
good things, to giving up toworrying, catastrophizing.
(05:06):
It's often linked to cynicismand skepticism.
They tend not to believe inthemselves or in others, are
often more uptight, insecure,believe in scarcity and have a
lot more fear.
And not only that pessimiststend to give more scope to bad
(05:30):
things, meaning that a bad eventhas a wider meaning, not just a
deeper meaning, and, of course,the opposite for good.
And then it's the completereverse, for optimists giving
more scope and meaning to goodthings and less scope and
meaning to bad things, and bothof them can be on this separate
(05:54):
spectrum of unrealistic torealistic.
But to keep on the optimismversus pessimism spectrum, to
keep on the optimism versuspessimism spectrum, we've talked
about the far ends of optimismand pessimism being a belief
that things will go wrong and abelief that things will go right
(06:15):
for pessimism and optimismrespectively.
But very few people are thatfar on the spectrum and I'm not
one to often advocate for suchblack and white approaches.
A more realistic version of thenormal pessimist and the normal
(06:36):
optimist is that a normaloptimist tends to frame things
more positively and believe thatthings are likely to go right,
and they have a feeling of hopemaybe not always Whereas a
pessimist tends to frame thingsnegatively, believes that things
(06:56):
are not likely to go well andoften has much less hope.
I want to introduce anotherlayer to this discussion the
difference between beingrealistic and idealistic.
I want you to imagine twospectrums.
One goes from optimism topessimism.
The other goes from unrealisticto realistic.
(07:22):
So let's take a look at thesecond spectrum realistic to
unrealistic, or possibly evendelusional or naive.
Whether somebody is an optimistor whether they're a pessimist
does not determine whether theyare realistic or unrealistic,
(07:45):
delusional or naive.
You can be a realisticpessimist and you can be a
realistic optimist.
You can also be a naive ordelusional pessimist and you can
be a naive or delusionaloptimist.
The positive version of beingunrealistic is called idealism
(08:11):
and the negative version ofbeing unrealistic is called
defeatism.
I don't think I have to makethat strong of an argument to
say that it is much, much morehelpful to be realistic than
delusional, which means that thesweet spot is definitely not
(08:34):
idealism or defeatism.
So if we're starting from theassumption that being realistic
is generally the most beneficialand remember you can only be so
realistic because you don'tknow everything, so everyone is
unrealistic sometimes simplybecause they just don't know
(08:56):
everything and also, to leave alittle shade of gray here, there
can be value in examiningdefeatist thinking for
understanding where somebodyelse is at, and there can be
value in idealistic thinking forcreativity and possibly
(09:18):
changing the world or the futureto become more idealistic.
But both of them are very nicheuse cases.
The idealistic optimist believesthings will be great no matter
what, often without a plan.
The defeatist pessimistbelieves that, no matter what
(09:41):
happens, there is absolutely nochance of anything ever going
right.
So what's the point?
In fact, it leads almostdirectly into true nihilism.
The realistic pessimist isconvinced things will go wrong
and can point to all of the veryreal data to support that
(10:02):
belief.
But the sweet spot, what I'madvocating for the place where
real, sustainable progresshappens is in this fourth
quadrant of the realisticoptimist.
This is the person who believesin a positive outcome but also
(10:22):
understands the work and thepotential setbacks involved in
getting there.
They have hope, but they alsosee things clearly.
In his groundbreaking book,learned Optimism, dr Martin
Seligman, one of the fathers ofpositive psychology the fathers
(10:49):
of positive psychology reallyshines a light on this.
He argues, based on decades ofresearch, that optimism isn't
just a fixed genetic trait.
It's a skill, one that we cancultivate and build, just like a
muscle.
It all comes down to what hecalls our explanatory style,
comes down to what he calls ourexplanatory style, which is just
(11:10):
a fancy term for how we explainbad things to ourselves.
Pessimists often tend to seesetbacks through the lens of the
three P's permanent, pervasiveand personal.
Permanent they believe thecause of the setback is
unchangeable I'll never be goodat public speaking.
This company is always going tooverlook me.
(11:31):
Pervasive they let the setbackbleed into every other area of
their life.
I failed that exam, so I'm afailure at everything.
This project didn't work out,so my whole career is a mess now
and personal, they blamethemselves entirely it's all my
fault, I'm just not smart enough.
(11:52):
Or they take the absoluteopposite and take no
accountability or responsibilityand say there's nothing I can
do.
I have no agency here, I'm justat the whims of everyone else
society, whatever it may be and,to be clear, I'm not trying to
(12:13):
minimize the fact that societyand other people do have an
impact on you but there's nopoint in taking away your own
agency just to make that point.
Remember shades of gray.
So the realistic optimist, onthe other hand, flips this
(12:35):
script.
They see setbacks as temporary.
Okay, I did not prepare wellenough this time.
Specific.
This one project was achallenge and I could have done
better.
But my other work is going welland nuanced.
I will admit the marketconditions were tough, but I can
(12:57):
learn from that and do betterin the future.
It's not about making excuses.
It's about using accurateattribution.
It's about seeing failure notas an indictment of your
character, but as an event thatyou can analyze, learn from and
move past.
To further support this, I'mgoing to bring in another
(13:18):
brilliant mind, matt Ridley, andhis book the Rational Optimist.
Ridley takes a broaderhistorical view.
He argues that if you look atthe grand sweep of human history
, things have, on the whole,gotten progressively better.
We've conquered diseases,increased lifespans and created
(13:39):
technologies that would seemlike magic to our ancestors.
Quality of life hasconsistently risen over time.
His optimism isn't rooted inblind faith.
It's rooted in evidence, whichis why he makes the argument
that it is rational to be anoptimist.
(13:59):
It's an informed confidence inour collective ability to
innovate and overcome problems.
The rational optimist looks ata problem and doesn't just see a
crisis.
They see the human ingenuitythat will inevitably rise up to
(14:20):
solve it.
We can apply that same logic toour own lives.
We can look back at our ownhistory of overcoming challenges
as evidence that we are capableof handling what's next,
evidence that we are capable ofhandling what's next.
(14:40):
But let's take this one stepfurther to get down to the core
of it.
Being realistic is good.
In the next section I'm goingto explain all of the benefits
of optimism.
So if optimism is good andbeing realistic is good, how do
we take it to the next levelbeing practical, taking action.
Pragmatism is the combinationof being realistic and practical
(15:03):
.
Not just being realistic, butusing that information in a
usable, practical, helpful way.
This is where we land onpragmatic optimism, realistic,
practical optimism.
(15:25):
To help support this, I'm goingto pull in a third book by Dr
Sue Varma called PracticalOptimism.
This is where the rubber meetsthe road.
It's about embracing a mindsetthat expects good things to
happen, but it's activelycoupled with a willingness to
(15:49):
work hard, to adapt and totroubleshoot when things don't
go according to plan.
It's the entrepreneur whobelieves her business will
succeed, while also creating thecontingency plans to make sure
that it does when the marketdownturns.
It's the student who believeshe'll pass the final exam and
(16:10):
therefore creates a rigorousstudy schedule to make it happen
.
It's faith paired with action.
Pragmatic optimism is a veryrational approach, both based on
a historical context and thefact that you are doing
realistic, practical things toactually make that optimistic
(16:35):
future happen, making it muchmore likely.
So the key takeaway here isthis the optimism-pessimism
spectrum deals with ourexpectation of outcomes and our
hope.
The realistic-idealisticspectrum deals with our
assessment of reality.
Pragmatic optimism merges thebest of both worlds and makes it
(17:00):
practical.
An expectation of positiveoutcomes tempered by the
clear-eyed view of what needs tobe done, followed by the
execution to make it happen.
Now you might be thinking okay,this sounds good, but what are
the tangible benefits?
(17:20):
Well, my friends, the benefitsare profound, extending far
beyond just a sunnierdisposition.
We're talking about serious,life-altering health advantages
here.
Winston Churchill said apessimist sees the difficulty in
every opportunity.
An optimist sees theopportunity in every difficulty.
(17:44):
This isn't just a clever turnof phrase.
It's a blueprint for ahealthier, more fulfilling life.
When you see opportunities, youtake action.
When you only see difficulties,you stay stuck.
And that state of being stuckhas a massive psychological cost
.
(18:05):
Let's talk about the science.
A landmark study published inthe Journal of American Medical
Association and frequently citedin subsequent research found a
stunningly strong correlationbetween optimism and better
cardiovascular health.
Over a period of years, peoplewho scored high on optimism
(18:26):
tests were found to have asignificantly lower risk of
heart disease, heart attack andstroke.
The link is just too strong toignore.
Why?
Well, the researchers point toa few things.
First, optimists tend to engagein healthier behaviors.
They're more likely to exercise, eat a balanced diet and avoid
(18:48):
smoking.
Why?
Because they believe that theiractions matter.
They believe that doing thehealthy things will lead to a
positive outcome a longer,healthier life.
Second, and this is crucial, istheir biological response to
stress.
A pessimistic outlook can leadto chronic stress, which floods
(19:12):
your body with the hormonecortisol.
Over time, high cortisol levelscontribute to inflammation,
high blood pressure and asuppressed immune system.
Optimists aren't immune tostress, but they do tend to cope
with it better.
(19:33):
They see a stressful event as atemporary challenge to be
solved, not a permanent state ofbeing.
This buffers the psychologicaldamage of that stress Beyond
just the heart.
Research consistently showsthat optimists tend to have a
stronger immune system,experience less depression and
(19:55):
live longer.
Yes, you heard that right livelonger.
A 2019 study from BostonUniversity School of Medicine
found that individuals with thehighest levels of optimism had
an 11 to 15% longer lifespan onaverage than most pessimistic
individuals.
They had substantially greaterodds of living to age 85 or
(20:19):
beyond.
Think about that A shift inyour mindset could literally add
years to your life and, moreimportantly, life to your years.
And because we're talking aboutpragmatic optimism, not
idealistic optimism, we'retalking also about taking
(20:40):
control of your own health, notjust being a passenger, taking
all of the steps to preventdisease and decline, including
early scans and the ability tocatch things early, instead of
just assuming that it'll allwork out.
It's taking the actions to makesure that it all works out, or
(21:02):
at least optimize the best thatyou can for it.
Pragmatic optimism has manymore benefits than just for your
health, though.
It's a powerful mindset thatactively creates positive
outcomes in nearly every aspectof life.
Its benefits create an upwardspiral where success, happiness
(21:24):
and well-being all build on eachother.
Pragmatic optimismfundamentally changes our
relationship with goals andchallenges.
Optimists tend to have greaterpersistence.
When faced with a setback,optimists tend to view it as a
(21:47):
temporary and specific hurdle,something that they have agency
and control over.
It's something they can dosomething about.
They focus on their locus ofcontrol, and if there is
objectively nothing they can doabout it, then they make the
most of the situation and justlet it go.
(22:08):
They also believe that there isa good chance of their own
success.
They have hope, which createsconfidence and a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
This perspective makes them farmore likely to try again, adapt
their strategy and ultimatelypersist until they succeed.
(22:28):
A pessimist might say I failedthe test.
I'm just not smart, being thatpessimism and fixed mindset are
(22:51):
correlated, while the optimistwould say I didn't pass this
time, so I need to change how Istudy.
I may not know the material yet, but I will soon.
Proactive goal setting Becauseoptimists genuinely believe
their efforts will lead topositive outcomes, they are more
motivated to set ambitiousgoals and take consistent action
to achieve them.
This can-do attitude translatesinto better performance in
careers, academics, sports andeven personal projects.
(23:14):
Opportunity-focused mindsetOptimists are skilled at finding
the opportunity within adifficulty.
They tend to be moreinterdependent and try to find
win-win strategies because theybelieve in things like abundance
(23:36):
and not that you have to takefrom somebody else like a
scarcity mindset.
This allows them to pivot,innovate and find solutions
where others might only see adead end, making them effective
leaders and problem solvers.
Optimism is one of thefoundations of happiness.
(23:57):
Happiness is often a directresult of an optimistic outlook.
Optimists are naturally wiredto focus on what's going well.
This gives them enhancedpositive emotions.
They practice gratitude moreeasily and savor positive
experiences, which directlyincrease their day-to-day
(24:18):
feelings of joy and contentment.
Better coping skills Lifethrows challenges at everyone.
However, optimists are moreresilient because they use
active, problem-focused copingstrategies.
Instead of avoiding a problemor ruminating on it, they
(24:42):
brainstorm solutions and seekhelp, oftentimes instead of
asking if they ask how thissense of control significantly
reduces feelings of helplessnessand anxiety.
Stronger social connections Apositive and hopeful attitude is
(25:05):
magnetic.
Optimists tend to buildstronger, more supportive social
networks.
Good relationships are one ofthe most reliable predictors of
happiness and resilience, andoptimism helps foster those very
connections that sustain it.
So how do we cultivate thispragmatic optimism?
(25:27):
It's not about flipping aswitch overnight.
It's a practice and, likeanything else, it's built like a
muscle.
It starts with awareness.
Remember, you are theconsciousness that experiences
your life and your perspectiveof reality shapes your
(25:51):
experience of reality and one ofthe main tools that we use to
change our perspective of thesame objective reality.
Because, remember, we're beingrealistic, so we're looking at
reality as it is, but we canframe it in a positive light.
(26:15):
The first step to doing that isby starting with awareness.
Pay attention to your innerdialogue.
The language that you use isoften a powerful part of how you
see a situation.
When a challenge arises, what'syour immediate internal script?
(26:39):
Are you worrying orcatastrophizing, or are you
looking for a solution?
Here are a few actionablestrategies that you can start
using today.
Challenge your assumptions thisis the big one.
Just because something wentwrong once doesn't mean it
(27:01):
always will.
Focus on what you can control.
Identify your objective locusof control and focus on what you
can control and stop worryingabout the things that you can't.
Instead of dwelling on what'soutside of your power, direct
(27:23):
that energy towards the small,actionable steps that you can
take right now.
Practice gratitude Regularly.
Acknowledging the good thingsin your life, big and small,
literally rewires your brain tolook for the positive.
Your RAS, or reticularactivating system, will deem
(27:45):
positive things important to youand start helping you learn
optimism.
Surround yourself with positiveinfluences.
Energy is contagious.
Spend time with people who liftyou up and believe in solutions
.
Learn from setbacks.
Don't dwell on them.
Every failure is a data point.
(28:08):
It's a lesson in disguise.
Extract the lesson and leavethe emotional baggage behind To
dive deeper into the first ofthose of challenging your
assumptions.
Dr Seligman offers a tool thathe calls the ABCDE method.
A is adversity, the event thathappens.
(28:30):
Your boss criticizes yourreport.
B is your belief.
Criticizes your report.
B is your belief, yourimmediate, often negative
interpretation I'm terrible atmy job.
I'm going to get fired.
C is for the consequence howthat belief makes you feel and
act.
You feel defeated, anxious, andyou avoid your boss for the
(28:55):
rest of the day.
Most people stop there, but theoptimist continues.
D is for dispute.
You need to take control ofyour conscious perspective and
hijack your inner voice toactively dispute that negative
belief.
Actively dispute that negativebelief.
(29:21):
Ask yourself wait a minute, isit true?
Is it really true that I'mterrible at my job?
No, I got a great review sixmonths ago.
My boss pointed out one section, not the whole report.
Maybe she was just having astressful day or wanted me to
learn how to be more thorough.
Maybe I just let myself slip alittle on that.
One thing I can improve.
I can do better.
You look for the evidence thatcontradicts your knee-jerk
(29:44):
belief.
E is for energy.
After disputing the belief, youfeel better.
You feel energized, notdefeated.
You realize that by simplyrevising that one section, it
has become a growth opportunity,not a catastrophe.
Practicing this simpletechnique can fundamentally
(30:07):
change your response to life'sinevitable challenges.
Pragmatic optimism isn't aboutignoring the storms.
It's about knowing you have thetools to build an arc and then
getting on the arc.
It's about understanding thatwaves are part of being at sea,
but you are the captain of yourship, capable of navigating
(30:30):
through them.
It's not just a mindset, it's asuperpower that impacts your
health, your relationships andyour ability to achieve your
most ambitious goals.
So I challenge you this week toconsciously practice this.
Pick one small thing thatdoesn't go your way it could be
(30:56):
traffic, a spilled coffee, adifficult conversation and when
that happens, catch that firstnegative belief and then dispute
it.
Ask yourself is it really true?
Because remember, we're beingrealistic here.
Frame it in a more empoweringinterpretation and just see what
(31:19):
happens, see how it makes youfeel.
Become a pragmatic optimist.
Lastly, I do want to say thatthere is a time and a place for
pessimism.
Pessimism Immediately after atragic event happens, jumping
(31:43):
right in with optimism, can besocially obtuse, off-putting and
pretty insensitive.
Pessimism can also be a veryhelpful perspective for playing
devil's advocate, to actuallyidentify the things that can go
wrong so that you can solve them.
I'm advocating for a defaultperspective of pragmatic
(32:06):
optimism, but that doesn't meanthat pessimism doesn't still
have a place.
The biggest downside ofdefaulting into pessimism is
that pessimism embraces a lackof hope or even possibly
hopelessness, and hopelessnessdoes not inspire the actions
(32:27):
that you need to build thepositive outcomes.
And remember you are enough andyou deserve to fill up your
inner cup with happiness, trueconfidence and resilience.
Thank you for listening to theSage Solutions Podcast.
(32:50):
Your time is valuable and I'mso glad that you choose to learn
and grow here with me.
If you haven't already, don'tforget to subscribe so you don't
miss out on more sage advice.
One last thing the legallanguage.
(33:14):
This podcast is for educationaland informational purposes only
.
No coaching client relationshipis formed.
It is not intended to replacethe advice of a physician,
professional coach,psychotherapist or other
(33:36):
qualified professional.
Welcome to the Sage Solutions Podcast, where we talk
about all things personalgrowth, personal development and
becoming your best self.
My name is David Sage and I ama self-worth and confidence
coach with Sage CoachingSolutions.
With Sage Coaching Solutions, Iam thrilled that you're here
(00:30):
joining me today, becausetoday's topic is one that I've
been looking forward to doingfor quite a while now.
We're about to take a deep diveinto a topic that really does
honestly have the power toreshape your entire perspective
and, from there, the way thatyou view your life.
We're talking about a conceptthat I've been calling pragmatic
(00:53):
optimism.
But before we get into it, ourgoal with this podcast is to
share free, helpful tools withyou and anyone you know who is
looking to improve their life.
So take action, subscribe andshare this podcast with them.
So just be positive.
(01:18):
Well, thank you for coming tothe Sage.
Just kidding, I'm not justanother positivity guru here to
tell you that everything isgreat and sunshine and rainbows,
and just think happy thoughts.
Okay, now, before you think,here comes another positivity
(01:40):
guru just telling me to thinkhappy thoughts and just be
positive.
If you give me a few minutes,you'll see that that is not what
I'm talking about, because whatwe're discussing today is far
more nuanced we embrace shadesof gray on this podcast and not
(02:04):
just nuanced, it's far morepowerful and it's backed by some
incredible research.
This isn't about putting onrose-colored glasses and
ignoring reality or pretendingthat everything is always good
and happy.
It's more like putting on yourwork boots, acknowledging the
terrain ahead and beingconfident in your ability to
(02:26):
navigate it.
It's not ignoring challenges.
It's about facing them with aresilient, solution-oriented
mindset.
Is the glass half full or isthe glass half empty, empty?
(02:50):
This is often what optimism andpessimism are boiled down to,
and, frankly, it's way morecomplicated than that.
Many of us, when we hear theword optimism, immediately
picture someone with their headin the clouds maybe a little
naive, always seeing the glasshalf full, maybe a little naive,
always seeing the glass halffull, even when it's straight up
empty.
And then there's pessimism, theperpetual worrier, the Eeyore
(03:13):
in our lives, the one who alwaysexpects the worst.
We often see these two as twoends of a simple spectrum, but
that's not how reality works Inreal life.
There's shades of gray, whichis why that's an incomplete
picture.
(03:34):
To start with, pessimism tooptimism if we boil them down to
their coreism is about positiveframing, hope and a belief that
things will go well, at leastin its purest form, at its
(03:56):
extreme.
It's also associated with apositive attitude, an internal
locus of control, giving lowweight to bad things and high
weight to good things, makingthe most of every situation,
taking action, planning, agency,curiosity, a growth mindset,
(04:19):
believing in yourself and inothers.
They're associated with beingeasygoing, confident, with
believing in abundance andhaving courage.
Let's turn it to pessimism.
Pessimism uses negative framing, often a feeling of
(04:40):
hopelessness and a belief thatthings won't go well, of
hopelessness and a belief thatthings won't go well.
It's also associated with anegative attitude, an external
locus of control, high weight tobad things and a low weight to
good things, to giving up toworrying, catastrophizing.
(05:06):
It's often linked to cynicismand skepticism.
They tend not to believe inthemselves or in others, are
often more uptight, insecure,believe in scarcity and have a
lot more fear.
And not only that pessimiststend to give more scope to bad
(05:30):
things, meaning that a bad eventhas a wider meaning, not just a
deeper meaning, and, of course,the opposite for good.
And then it's the completereverse, for optimists giving
more scope and meaning to goodthings and less scope and
meaning to bad things, and bothof them can be on this separate
(05:54):
spectrum of unrealistic torealistic.
But to keep on the optimismversus pessimism spectrum, to
keep on the optimism versuspessimism spectrum, we've talked
about the far ends of optimismand pessimism being a belief
that things will go wrong and abelief that things will go right
(06:15):
for pessimism and optimismrespectively.
But very few people are thatfar on the spectrum and I'm not
one to often advocate for suchblack and white approaches.
A more realistic version of thenormal pessimist and the normal
(06:36):
optimist is that a normaloptimist tends to frame things
more positively and believe thatthings are likely to go right,
and they have a feeling of hopemaybe not always Whereas a
pessimist tends to frame thingsnegatively, believes that things
(06:56):
are not likely to go well andoften has much less hope.
I want to introduce anotherlayer to this discussion the
difference between beingrealistic and idealistic.
I want you to imagine twospectrums.
One goes from optimism topessimism.
The other goes from unrealisticto realistic.
(07:22):
So let's take a look at thesecond spectrum realistic to
unrealistic, or possibly evendelusional or naive.
Whether somebody is an optimistor whether they're a pessimist
does not determine whether theyare realistic or unrealistic,
(07:45):
delusional or naive.
You can be a realisticpessimist and you can be a
realistic optimist.
You can also be a naive ordelusional pessimist and you can
be a naive or delusionaloptimist.
The positive version of beingunrealistic is called idealism
(08:11):
and the negative version ofbeing unrealistic is called
defeatism.
I don't think I have to makethat strong of an argument to
say that it is much, much morehelpful to be realistic than
delusional, which means that thesweet spot is definitely not
(08:34):
idealism or defeatism.
So if we're starting from theassumption that being realistic
is generally the most beneficialand remember you can only be so
realistic because you don'tknow everything, so everyone is
unrealistic sometimes simplybecause they just don't know
(08:56):
everything and also, to leave alittle shade of gray here, there
can be value in examiningdefeatist thinking for
understanding where somebodyelse is at, and there can be
value in idealistic thinking forcreativity and possibly
(09:18):
changing the world or the futureto become more idealistic.
But both of them are very nicheuse cases.
The idealistic optimist believesthings will be great no matter
what, often without a plan.
The defeatist pessimistbelieves that, no matter what
(09:41):
happens, there is absolutely nochance of anything ever going
right.
So what's the point?
In fact, it leads almostdirectly into true nihilism.
The realistic pessimist isconvinced things will go wrong
and can point to all of the veryreal data to support that
(10:02):
belief.
But the sweet spot, what I'madvocating for the place where
real, sustainable progresshappens is in this fourth
quadrant of the realisticoptimist.
This is the person who believesin a positive outcome but also
(10:22):
understands the work and thepotential setbacks involved in
getting there.
They have hope, but they alsosee things clearly.
In his groundbreaking book,learned Optimism, dr Martin
Seligman, one of the fathers ofpositive psychology the fathers
(10:49):
of positive psychology reallyshines a light on this.
He argues, based on decades ofresearch, that optimism isn't
just a fixed genetic trait.
It's a skill, one that we cancultivate and build, just like a
muscle.
It all comes down to what hecalls our explanatory style,
comes down to what he calls ourexplanatory style, which is just
(11:10):
a fancy term for how we explainbad things to ourselves.
Pessimists often tend to seesetbacks through the lens of the
three P's permanent, pervasiveand personal.
Permanent they believe thecause of the setback is
unchangeable I'll never be goodat public speaking.
This company is always going tooverlook me.
(11:31):
Pervasive they let the setbackbleed into every other area of
their life.
I failed that exam, so I'm afailure at everything.
This project didn't work out,so my whole career is a mess now
and personal, they blamethemselves entirely it's all my
fault, I'm just not smart enough.
(11:52):
Or they take the absoluteopposite and take no
accountability or responsibilityand say there's nothing I can
do.
I have no agency here, I'm justat the whims of everyone else
society, whatever it may be and,to be clear, I'm not trying to
(12:13):
minimize the fact that societyand other people do have an
impact on you but there's nopoint in taking away your own
agency just to make that point.
Remember shades of gray.
So the realistic optimist, onthe other hand, flips this
(12:35):
script.
They see setbacks as temporary.
Okay, I did not prepare wellenough this time.
Specific.
This one project was achallenge and I could have done
better.
But my other work is going welland nuanced.
I will admit the marketconditions were tough, but I can
(12:57):
learn from that and do betterin the future.
It's not about making excuses.
It's about using accurateattribution.
It's about seeing failure notas an indictment of your
character, but as an event thatyou can analyze, learn from and
move past.
To further support this, I'mgoing to bring in another
(13:18):
brilliant mind, matt Ridley, andhis book the Rational Optimist.
Ridley takes a broaderhistorical view.
He argues that if you look atthe grand sweep of human history
, things have, on the whole,gotten progressively better.
We've conquered diseases,increased lifespans and created
(13:39):
technologies that would seemlike magic to our ancestors.
Quality of life hasconsistently risen over time.
His optimism isn't rooted inblind faith.
It's rooted in evidence, whichis why he makes the argument
that it is rational to be anoptimist.
(13:59):
It's an informed confidence inour collective ability to
innovate and overcome problems.
The rational optimist looks ata problem and doesn't just see a
crisis.
They see the human ingenuitythat will inevitably rise up to
(14:20):
solve it.
We can apply that same logic toour own lives.
We can look back at our ownhistory of overcoming challenges
as evidence that we are capableof handling what's next,
evidence that we are capable ofhandling what's next.
(14:40):
But let's take this one stepfurther to get down to the core
of it.
Being realistic is good.
In the next section I'm goingto explain all of the benefits
of optimism.
So if optimism is good andbeing realistic is good, how do
we take it to the next levelbeing practical, taking action.
Pragmatism is the combinationof being realistic and practical
(15:03):
.
Not just being realistic, butusing that information in a
usable, practical, helpful way.
This is where we land onpragmatic optimism, realistic,
practical optimism.
(15:25):
To help support this, I'm goingto pull in a third book by Dr
Sue Varma called PracticalOptimism.
This is where the rubber meetsthe road.
It's about embracing a mindsetthat expects good things to
happen, but it's activelycoupled with a willingness to
(15:49):
work hard, to adapt and totroubleshoot when things don't
go according to plan.
It's the entrepreneur whobelieves her business will
succeed, while also creating thecontingency plans to make sure
that it does when the marketdownturns.
It's the student who believeshe'll pass the final exam and
(16:10):
therefore creates a rigorousstudy schedule to make it happen
.
It's faith paired with action.
Pragmatic optimism is a veryrational approach, both based on
a historical context and thefact that you are doing
realistic, practical things toactually make that optimistic
(16:35):
future happen, making it muchmore likely.
So the key takeaway here isthis the optimism-pessimism
spectrum deals with ourexpectation of outcomes and our
hope.
The realistic-idealisticspectrum deals with our
assessment of reality.
Pragmatic optimism merges thebest of both worlds and makes it
(17:00):
practical.
An expectation of positiveoutcomes tempered by the
clear-eyed view of what needs tobe done, followed by the
execution to make it happen.
Now you might be thinking okay,this sounds good, but what are
the tangible benefits?
(17:20):
Well, my friends, the benefitsare profound, extending far
beyond just a sunnierdisposition.
We're talking about serious,life-altering health advantages
here.
Winston Churchill said apessimist sees the difficulty in
every opportunity.
An optimist sees theopportunity in every difficulty.
(17:44):
This isn't just a clever turnof phrase.
It's a blueprint for ahealthier, more fulfilling life.
When you see opportunities, youtake action.
When you only see difficulties,you stay stuck.
And that state of being stuckhas a massive psychological cost
.
(18:05):
Let's talk about the science.
A landmark study published inthe Journal of American Medical
Association and frequently citedin subsequent research found a
stunningly strong correlationbetween optimism and better
cardiovascular health.
Over a period of years, peoplewho scored high on optimism
(18:26):
tests were found to have asignificantly lower risk of
heart disease, heart attack andstroke.
The link is just too strong toignore.
Why?
Well, the researchers point toa few things.
First, optimists tend to engagein healthier behaviors.
They're more likely to exercise, eat a balanced diet and avoid
(18:48):
smoking.
Why?
Because they believe that theiractions matter.
They believe that doing thehealthy things will lead to a
positive outcome a longer,healthier life.
Second, and this is crucial, istheir biological response to
stress.
A pessimistic outlook can leadto chronic stress, which floods
(19:12):
your body with the hormonecortisol.
Over time, high cortisol levelscontribute to inflammation,
high blood pressure and asuppressed immune system.
Optimists aren't immune tostress, but they do tend to cope
with it better.
(19:33):
They see a stressful event as atemporary challenge to be
solved, not a permanent state ofbeing.
This buffers the psychologicaldamage of that stress Beyond
just the heart.
Research consistently showsthat optimists tend to have a
stronger immune system,experience less depression and
(19:55):
live longer.
Yes, you heard that right livelonger.
A 2019 study from BostonUniversity School of Medicine
found that individuals with thehighest levels of optimism had
an 11 to 15% longer lifespan onaverage than most pessimistic
individuals.
They had substantially greaterodds of living to age 85 or
(20:19):
beyond.
Think about that A shift inyour mindset could literally add
years to your life and, moreimportantly, life to your years.
And because we're talking aboutpragmatic optimism, not
idealistic optimism, we'retalking also about taking
(20:40):
control of your own health, notjust being a passenger, taking
all of the steps to preventdisease and decline, including
early scans and the ability tocatch things early, instead of
just assuming that it'll allwork out.
It's taking the actions to makesure that it all works out, or
(21:02):
at least optimize the best thatyou can for it.
Pragmatic optimism has manymore benefits than just for your
health, though.
It's a powerful mindset thatactively creates positive
outcomes in nearly every aspectof life.
Its benefits create an upwardspiral where success, happiness
(21:24):
and well-being all build on eachother.
Pragmatic optimismfundamentally changes our
relationship with goals andchallenges.
Optimists tend to have greaterpersistence.
When faced with a setback,optimists tend to view it as a
(21:47):
temporary and specific hurdle,something that they have agency
and control over.
It's something they can dosomething about.
They focus on their locus ofcontrol, and if there is
objectively nothing they can doabout it, then they make the
most of the situation and justlet it go.
(22:08):
They also believe that there isa good chance of their own
success.
They have hope, which createsconfidence and a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
This perspective makes them farmore likely to try again, adapt
their strategy and ultimatelypersist until they succeed.
(22:28):
A pessimist might say I failedthe test.
I'm just not smart, being thatpessimism and fixed mindset are
(22:51):
correlated, while the optimistwould say I didn't pass this
time, so I need to change how Istudy.
I may not know the material yet, but I will soon.
Proactive goal setting Becauseoptimists genuinely believe
their efforts will lead topositive outcomes, they are more
motivated to set ambitiousgoals and take consistent action
to achieve them.
This can-do attitude translatesinto better performance in
careers, academics, sports andeven personal projects.
(23:14):
Opportunity-focused mindsetOptimists are skilled at finding
the opportunity within adifficulty.
They tend to be moreinterdependent and try to find
win-win strategies because theybelieve in things like abundance
(23:36):
and not that you have to takefrom somebody else like a
scarcity mindset.
This allows them to pivot,innovate and find solutions
where others might only see adead end, making them effective
leaders and problem solvers.
Optimism is one of thefoundations of happiness.
(23:57):
Happiness is often a directresult of an optimistic outlook.
Optimists are naturally wiredto focus on what's going well.
This gives them enhancedpositive emotions.
They practice gratitude moreeasily and savor positive
experiences, which directlyincrease their day-to-day
(24:18):
feelings of joy and contentment.
Better coping skills Lifethrows challenges at everyone.
However, optimists are moreresilient because they use
active, problem-focused copingstrategies.
Instead of avoiding a problemor ruminating on it, they
(24:42):
brainstorm solutions and seekhelp, oftentimes instead of
asking if they ask how thissense of control significantly
reduces feelings of helplessnessand anxiety.
Stronger social connections Apositive and hopeful attitude is
(25:05):
magnetic.
Optimists tend to buildstronger, more supportive social
networks.
Good relationships are one ofthe most reliable predictors of
happiness and resilience, andoptimism helps foster those very
connections that sustain it.
So how do we cultivate thispragmatic optimism?
(25:27):
It's not about flipping aswitch overnight.
It's a practice and, likeanything else, it's built like a
muscle.
It starts with awareness.
Remember, you are theconsciousness that experiences
your life and your perspectiveof reality shapes your
(25:51):
experience of reality and one ofthe main tools that we use to
change our perspective of thesame objective reality.
Because, remember, we're beingrealistic, so we're looking at
reality as it is, but we canframe it in a positive light.
(26:15):
The first step to doing that isby starting with awareness.
Pay attention to your innerdialogue.
The language that you use isoften a powerful part of how you
see a situation.
When a challenge arises, what'syour immediate internal script?
(26:39):
Are you worrying orcatastrophizing, or are you
looking for a solution?
Here are a few actionablestrategies that you can start
using today.
Challenge your assumptions thisis the big one.
Just because something wentwrong once doesn't mean it
(27:01):
always will.
Focus on what you can control.
Identify your objective locusof control and focus on what you
can control and stop worryingabout the things that you can't.
Instead of dwelling on what'soutside of your power, direct
(27:23):
that energy towards the small,actionable steps that you can
take right now.
Practice gratitude Regularly.
Acknowledging the good thingsin your life, big and small,
literally rewires your brain tolook for the positive.
Your RAS, or reticularactivating system, will deem
(27:45):
positive things important to youand start helping you learn
optimism.
Surround yourself with positiveinfluences.
Energy is contagious.
Spend time with people who liftyou up and believe in solutions
.
Learn from setbacks.
Don't dwell on them.
Every failure is a data point.
(28:08):
It's a lesson in disguise.
Extract the lesson and leavethe emotional baggage behind To
dive deeper into the first ofthose of challenging your
assumptions.
Dr Seligman offers a tool thathe calls the ABCDE method.
A is adversity, the event thathappens.
(28:30):
Your boss criticizes yourreport.
B is your belief.
Criticizes your report.
B is your belief, yourimmediate, often negative
interpretation I'm terrible atmy job.
I'm going to get fired.
C is for the consequence howthat belief makes you feel and
act.
You feel defeated, anxious, andyou avoid your boss for the
(28:55):
rest of the day.
Most people stop there, but theoptimist continues.
D is for dispute.
You need to take control ofyour conscious perspective and
hijack your inner voice toactively dispute that negative
belief.
Actively dispute that negativebelief.
(29:21):
Ask yourself wait a minute, isit true?
Is it really true that I'mterrible at my job?
No, I got a great review sixmonths ago.
My boss pointed out one section, not the whole report.
Maybe she was just having astressful day or wanted me to
learn how to be more thorough.
Maybe I just let myself slip alittle on that.
One thing I can improve.
I can do better.
You look for the evidence thatcontradicts your knee-jerk
(29:44):
belief.
E is for energy.
After disputing the belief, youfeel better.
You feel energized, notdefeated.
You realize that by simplyrevising that one section, it
has become a growth opportunity,not a catastrophe.
Practicing this simpletechnique can fundamentally
(30:07):
change your response to life'sinevitable challenges.
Pragmatic optimism isn't aboutignoring the storms.
It's about knowing you have thetools to build an arc and then
getting on the arc.
It's about understanding thatwaves are part of being at sea,
but you are the captain of yourship, capable of navigating
(30:30):
through them.
It's not just a mindset, it's asuperpower that impacts your
health, your relationships andyour ability to achieve your
most ambitious goals.
So I challenge you this week toconsciously practice this.
Pick one small thing thatdoesn't go your way it could be
(30:56):
traffic, a spilled coffee, adifficult conversation and when
that happens, catch that firstnegative belief and then dispute
it.
Ask yourself is it really true?
Because remember, we're beingrealistic here.
Frame it in a more empoweringinterpretation and just see what
(31:19):
happens, see how it makes youfeel.
Become a pragmatic optimist.
Lastly, I do want to say thatthere is a time and a place for
pessimism.
Pessimism Immediately after atragic event happens, jumping
(31:43):
right in with optimism, can besocially obtuse, off-putting and
pretty insensitive.
Pessimism can also be a veryhelpful perspective for playing
devil's advocate, to actuallyidentify the things that can go
wrong so that you can solve them.
I'm advocating for a defaultperspective of pragmatic
(32:06):
optimism, but that doesn't meanthat pessimism doesn't still
have a place.
The biggest downside ofdefaulting into pessimism is
that pessimism embraces a lackof hope or even possibly
hopelessness, and hopelessnessdoes not inspire the actions
(32:27):
that you need to build thepositive outcomes.
And remember you are enough andyou deserve to fill up your
inner cup with happiness, trueconfidence and resilience.
Thank you for listening to theSage Solutions Podcast.
(32:50):
Your time is valuable and I'mso glad that you choose to learn
and grow here with me.
If you haven't already, don'tforget to subscribe so you don't
miss out on more sage advice.
One last thing the legallanguage.
(33:14):
This podcast is for educationaland informational purposes only
.
No coaching client relationshipis formed.
It is not intended to replacethe advice of a physician,
professional coach,psychotherapist or other
(33:36):
qualified professional.
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