What are the benefits and challenges of practicing gratitude and optimism in your profession?
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Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life worth living, and how to enhance well-being and happiness. One of the key concepts in positive psychology is gratitude, which is the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful in life. Another important concept is optimism, which is the tendency to expect positive outcomes and cope with challenges. In this article, you will learn how practicing gratitude and optimism can benefit your profession, and what are some of the common obstacles and pitfalls to avoid.
Gratitude and work satisfaction
Gratitude can boost your work satisfaction by helping you focus on the positive aspects of your job, such as your achievements, your relationships, and your opportunities for growth. Gratitude can also reduce stress and burnout by buffering you from negative emotions and enhancing your resilience. To practice gratitude at work, you can try some of these strategies: keep a gratitude journal, write thank-you notes, express appreciation to your colleagues and clients, and celebrate your successes.
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Gratitude is an intention and a frequency. We can silently say thank you in our heads for anything from sip of coffee to a positive email or even something like stepping in a puddle or stubbing our toes. Expressing gratitude externally is great too, but less impactful in the big picture in my practice and experience.
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Optimism and work performance
Optimism can improve your work performance by motivating you to set and pursue challenging goals, and by increasing your confidence and creativity. Optimism can also help you cope with setbacks and failures by enabling you to learn from them and bounce back. To practice optimism at work, you can try some of these strategies: reframe negative thoughts, visualize positive outcomes, seek feedback and support, and embrace uncertainty and change.
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In my candid opinion, one becomes truly optimistic, when they have been through typical adverse conditions! Hence, when you are challenged with constant grief, a truly optimistic person will smile through it! One way, of becoming an optimistic person is to shift the focus! Circumstances can only be changed, if one changes something from within! Sure, your team couldn't crack the most important deal that they worked on for months, instead of disregarding their work and data, you must see how the done-work can be used to crack a better deal! Optimism in work performance can only be applied when you change your focus from the goal to the path toward the goal! True optimistic trust and our confident at their skills, not the situations!
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Gratitude and optimism pitfalls
While gratitude and optimism can have many benefits for your profession, they can also have some drawbacks if they are not balanced with realism and critical thinking. For example, excessive gratitude can make you complacent and overlook problems or injustices, while excessive optimism can make you overconfident and ignore risks or feedback. To avoid these pitfalls, you need to practice gratitude and optimism in a realistic and flexible way, and not let them blind you from the reality and complexity of your work situation.
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Gratitude has never been a challenge of becoming too much for me. It has always provided a balance and pulled me back from negativity and skepticism. Optimism on the other hand can really give us rose colored glasses. It can definitely create unrealistic scenarios and draw us away from reality. To counter that, frequently looking at what is wrong today and what could go wrong can provide that counter balance to being positive and upbeat. It is a delicate balance but once achieved, it can be a great compass.
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Gratitude and optimism challenges
Another challenge of practicing gratitude and optimism in your profession is that you may encounter resistance or skepticism from others who do not share your perspective or values. For example, you may face criticism or ridicule from your colleagues or managers who think that you are naive or unrealistic, or you may feel alienated or misunderstood by your clients or customers who have different expectations or needs. To overcome these challenges, you need to respect and communicate with others, and not impose your gratitude and optimism on them or judge them for their lack of it.
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I and my team utilize a technique to overcome many of the challenges relating to maintaining an attitude of gratitude. With every "to-do" item on our lists, we also include a "to-be" descriptor. For example, I may need to visit with a stakeholder, and I need to be "patient" as they have many challenges at the moment. In other cases, I may need to work with a team member on a task they are tackling, and I need to bolster their confidence, so I note I need to be "encouraging and supportive." This technique reinforces the ability you have to influence your environment, and consciously deciding how to be as you tackle your to-do list has proven to be very powerful.
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Gratitude and optimism benefits
Despite the potential pitfalls and challenges, practicing gratitude and optimism in your profession can have many positive effects on your well-being and happiness. For example, gratitude and optimism can enhance your self-esteem and self-efficacy, your emotional and physical health, your social and professional relationships, and your sense of meaning and purpose. By practicing gratitude and optimism, you can cultivate a positive mindset that can help you thrive and flourish in your profession.
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Expressing gratitude towards your coworkers often fosters positive relationships, as people appreciate being acknowledged and feel that you are pleasant to work with. In today's interconnected society, work is rarely done in isolation; we must collaborate and manage relationships. By cultivating strong relationships with your coworkers, you create a supportive network where others are more likely to offer assistance and support when you encounter obstacles.
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Gratitude and optimism tips
To help you practice gratitude and optimism in your profession, here are some tips that you can follow: start small and simple, and gradually increase the frequency and intensity of your gratitude and optimism practices; be authentic and sincere, and do not fake or force your gratitude and optimism; be mindful and aware, and pay attention to the sources and effects of your gratitude and optimism; be flexible and adaptable, and adjust your gratitude and optimism to different situations and contexts; and be open and curious, and explore new ways and opportunities to express and experience your gratitude and optimism.
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Have you ever been shopping for a new car, you find the one you want and then you see it on the road, ALL the time? And think that everyone is driving it? That’s your Reticular Activating System in your brain, your RAS, becoming activated. What your RAS does is filters out unnecessary information so the important stuff gets through. So one way to do this is to kind of HACK of your RAS and remind yourself that gratitude is important. When you deem "finding gratitude in your day" as important, your RAS will do a lot of the hard work subconsciously and begin to filter out more opportunities to feel gratitude.
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