What comes to mind when you think about optimism?
Yeah right, how can anyone be optimistic at a time like this?
*eye roll* What fluff.
Uh…does being optimistic about my chances of eating cake count?
Given our current circumstances, optimism might feel worthless, useless, or both. But optimism doesn’t have to be this mythical, unobtainable pie-in-the-sky concept, especially when considered from this lens:
the expectation of good things to happen and the belief that our behavior matters.
Why? Because we have control of our expectations and our beliefs. We can choose to alter our expectations, and we can choose to believe that our behavior matters.
That’s what Michelle Gielan, Positive Psychologist and bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness, is here to explain. In this episode, she offers research-based tactics that you can use today to gradually strengthen your resolve, transform your relationship with stress, and shift towards optimism.
Uh huh. Trying to be optimistic right now seems like a Sisyphean task. Why should I bother?
Michelle shares some statistics from her research, which says that optimists:
- worry about their finances 145 fewer days than pessimists
- are more likely to save money
- are 7x as likely to experience better financial health than pessimists
Michelle also shares the simple financial habits that will get you there. You’ll walk away from this episode with a handful of actionable steps you can take to cultivate more optimism in your life.
You’ll enjoy this episode if …
- You’re tired of seeing a half empty glass and want to retrain your brain to see it as half full.
- You want to improve your financial wellbeing with simple research-backed tactics that optimists use.
- Stress has seeped into every aspect of your life and you want to change your relationship with it for the better.
Resources Mentioned:
- MichelleGielan.com
- Broadcasting Happiness, by Michelle Gielan
- Optforoptimism.com | Research
- Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work | TEDx
- Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2021)
- High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2010)
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