In the business world, there are many ways to improve optimism. In fact, if pessimists outnumber optimists, pessimists win more than optimists in just about every contest. So, how do you become a pessimist-without-being-pessimistic? It's actually pretty simple. Just follow these three guidelines, and you'll soon see yourself enjoying optimism instead of pessimism.
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First, don't spend your time worrying about whether or not you're going to experience any setbacks. Some pessimists, it seems, believe that all they have to do is look at the clock, realize that there are setbacks, and then count backward from 10. This is just a way that people with problems and setbacks manage their stress and anxiety. It doesn't help to improve optimism when you're counting backwards into the future and worrying about when you'll get through. If anything, it just increases stress and anxiety.

Second, forget about failures and think about successes. It seems that for pessimists and weak optimists alike, failure is something that is inevitable. It's okay to think this way if you are in the habit of dwelling on what could go wrong. But you have to stop doing this if you want to improve optimism. Your job is to focus on the positives, so that you are less likely to focus on what could go wrong.

Finally, make sure you study widely and don't shy away from experimenting. A lot of scientists today are experimenting with new ways of thinking, and this includes failure. To better understand failure, you need to expand your failure experiences into positive situations and think about why you did it. For example, if you failed at a basketball hoop several times, maybe you just weren't a good competitor. Maybe you just weren't smart. By trying different things, you can increase optimism around the basketball court and therefore improve optimism.

The last part of this article is about the last two exercises that I performed to improve optimism. After reading a study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Research, I began to feel hopeful again. It seemed like these studies were meant to reinforce the power of positive thinking. That hope gave me something else to strive for - more optimism.

After three months, I did another study. This time, I focused on the "ories" of my life. I correlated my "oreas" (my personal beliefs and hopes) with the outcomes that I desired. I found that my "oreas" were correlated with my academic progress, my health, my relationships, and my financial security - so I knew that working to change my "oreas" would improve my life significantly.

So the results of the previous study published in Psychological Science were replicated. I didn't stop trying to find ways to improve optimism because I believed that my results were the best possible self-help results I could hope for. I believe strongly that it is possible to become optimists when you understand that your "ory" or "perspective" is a mental construct. Your thoughts are very real to you, even if they are hard to prove. Over time, this knowledge has become a piece of my success puzzle.
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Now that I know that my "ory" is a mental construct, what I do is pay attention to the studies that support it. When I notice that my results have been consistent over time, and that they increase whenever I focus on my "ories" in terms of how they affect my life, I am encouraged. I now have a system that helps me to work toward my goals, to improve optimism, and to change my "perception" of the world around me. The work required to change my perspective has taken me from being a frustrated college student struggling through post-secondary education to a successful business entrepreneur with multiple franchises. And, I believe I'm half full circle - optimistic about the future, not depressed and worried about where it's all going.