Two Superpowers That Can Change Everything
There are two incredible forces that heroes and high achievers use to automatically tip the scales of success in their favor. The deployment of these two forces quite literally gives them an unfair advantage in their work and life.
The first is OPTIMISM. I know some of you may be rolling your eyes and thinking, “here we go, the motivational guy with his “positive attitude” speech.”
Not so much.
I’m not naturally a positive person. I didn’t grow up that way. In fact, I tend to lean toward the pessimistic side of things. It seems odd for a motivational speaker to admit right!? One would think so. While I am not a positive thinker, I am an optimist. What’s the difference?
Positive thinking, in my opinion, is a denial of reality. Wishful thinking. Pretending that everything is ok when it isn’t. It’s passive by nature.
Optimism, on the other hand, is a skill set. A learned behavior. It’s the ability to confront reality with eyes wide open and seek solutions to solve the problem. It’s a proactive and intentional decision to see what is and immediately begin taking action toward what can be. In other words, we see the problem and also believe there is a solution and a path to a better outcome.
A real-life example of this is my stepmother. One of the sweetest and most ferocious cancer conquerors I have ever known. She has beaten cancer four times over seventeen years. She is currently kicking Parkinson’s ass while recovering from a stroke that had her celebrating her 81st birthday in the hospital. She is an optimistic warrior.
A positive thinker in her shoes would have denied being diagnosed with cancer at all. She acknowledged the diagnosis and then went to work to influence the prognosis. She exercised her right to choose a path and outlook that delivered a better result.
A superpower indeed.
The second piece of the optimism puzzle is gratitude. Optimists are thankful, and their language reflects it. They wake up differently and approach the day differently. Again, my stepmother, Jane, doesn’t wake up thinking, “I have to go to therapy (which she does four days a week)” she instead wakes up thinking, “I get to go to therapy!” And her team of therapists will tell you she works harder than any other patient. Why? She’s grateful to be here and have the opportunity to take more steps today than she did yesterday. To utter the words “I love you” again to my dad is a significant goal. It matters to her. She has a purpose and a vision.
I know many people facing far less than she is, and they cannot muster an ounce of optimism or gratitude. They wake up every day thinking about everything they have to do instead of what they get to do. Listen, it’s a privilege to go to work. To serve others. To raise a family. Be a partner in life.
I challenge and encourage you to shift your thinking. Start work on your optimism muscle. Listen to things that encourage and lift your spirit. Read books that edify your soul and elevate your abilities. Spend time with people that see life through the lens of possibility.
Work on your language. Make some “gratitude tweaks” to your vocabulary. You believe what you say to you. Tell yourself how grateful and how lucky you are to do what you do and have the life you have. Regardless of what your story has been, the pen is in your hand to write the next chapter. You can make a storyline of your choosing. And remember this, your story may become a survival guide for someone else.
This article is part of a NEW series called The Hero Effect® At Work: A monthly newsletter to guide organizations in creating a culture of heroes at every level in their workplace.
Unleashing Your Hero
My new book, Unleashing Your Hero (HarperCollins Leadership, October 2021), incorporates this framework from The Hero Effect® to help readers find their gifts and superpowers and encourage them to rise above any challenge, expand their impact, and become the Hero the world needs.
Copyright © 2021 Kevin Brown. All rights reserved.