Ten Tips to Teach Children Optimism

By Dr. Russ

If you are a parent or a teacher, you may be looking for ways to teach children to be optimistic.  Social science research continues to show that optimistic adults live longer and happier lives.  Here are ten tips to teach children optimism.

1.    Children need to encounter new life experiences without fear.  New experiences teach optimism when they are fun, joyful and filled with wonderment.   Then, the experiences reinforce and strengthen an internal belief that the world is a place for exploration and learning.

2.    Anytime children engage in an activity that increases their belief that if they TRY to do, perform, or accomplish something, they CAN, they get a boost in optimism that is represented in the brain in permanent memory storage.

3.    Anytime children put on the “creative hat” without fear of criticism and judgment they learn to pursue goals with a sense of playfulness, being in control, and that anything might be possible.

4.    The more a child or adolescent feels emotionally connected and positively involved with the family and family members the more they have a sense of optimism bred by secure, stable and dependable relationships; a sense they are listened and responded to in a supportive facilitative manner.

5.    The summer is a great time to learn that effortful work leads to money of which a little can be saved and a little spent.  For real optimism make it up close and personal.  Have a conversation with someone from a different generation, culture, economic background, or country.  Find out as much as you can about how he/she views the world and feel the interconnectivity of the “human condition.”

6.    In the school of the future, optimism will be learned because students will be valued not only for their academic ability, but for their ability to think creatively, to communicate ideas, to facilitate collaboration, and to think non-verbally in visual-spatial domains.

7.    Can you imagine the optimism created in a classroom where teachers focus on how to learn from mistakes rather than how to avoid them?

8.    The school of the future will teach optimism by valuing students for their unique individuality as one student uses her artistic talent to contribute to the solution, another, his math skills, and a third her keen political/social awareness.  

9.    In the school of the future, each student will learn from the other in a community of optimistic experimentation and appreciation of hard work and “mastery.”

10.   Encourage children to have conversations with children and adults from different generations, cultures, economic backgrounds, or countries.  Make sure they find out as much as they can about how the other views the world and see if they don’t begin to experience the interconnectivity of the “human condition.”

What is Willpower and How Does it Differ from Optimism Stamina?

By Dr. Russ,

My mother used the term willpower a lot.  She ingrained in my belief system that just about anything was possible with enough willpower.  Her definition of willpower was the mental mindset to stick with something to the end, to the finish.  It could refer to finishing your homework, painting a fence, practicing a skill, or completing the requirements for a degree.  Willpower can be needed for a few moments or several years.

The concept of willpower not only implies staying the course to the finish, but doing so under discomforting or painful conditions.  For example, the last six miles of a marathon are the most difficult because the runner is not only exhausted, but in great pain.

Another meaning of willpower is to resist temptation.  For years people with addictions were told they needed more willpower to resist the addictive substance.  The mental health field has learned that willpower is not enough.  In fact, exercising willpower and failing, relapsing over and over, guarantees the depletion of willpower.

AA and twelve step programs have shown that much more is needed to manage an addiction than willpower.

Psychologists have even come up with a test for willpower that measures how long an individual can stick their hand in a bucket of ice water which requires a combination of staying power and pain tolerance.  Recently it was determined that the amount of willpower for this task directly correlated with the amount of glucose in the blood.  If managing glucose in the blood is an important component of willpower, we have even more evidence that shear will or willpower is not enough.

Strategic thinking is critically important.  The kind of strategic thinking required to plan for avoiding dips in blood sugar, for keeping a steady state of glucose in the system throughout the day, for identifying when resistance to temptation is at its lowest, and then making sure you are not in the presence of the addictive substance.

Now let’s consider the role of the Optimistic Staminas in, for example, managing addictions.  Optimistic stamina’s bring in a broad range of additional strategic thinking skills that take one beyond the simple message, hang in there, you can do it, don’t give up. 

Willpower as described herein is most similar to the endurance component of the Staminas.  But, the Staminas also have speed and agility components.  Speed and agility are mental optimism skills that allow one to move quickly away from the negative and to deal with a multitude of challenging obstacles.

Here are the things willpower does not help us with: 1) putting a setback quickly in the “that’s behind me” box, 2) getting help from others, 3) getting training and new knowledge, 4) going quickly to the “creative zone,” and 5) finding opportunities to learn in every mistake.   Take a look at AA and twelve step programs and see how much use they make of the Staminas and you will find they have gone well beyond my mother’s concept of willpower.

In the end, I agree with mom, willpower does have a role and counts for something. Here are some strategies to help or nudge willpower along.  These strategies have to do with having reasons to keep your hand in that bucket of ice water.  Here are three ways to improve your willpower to keep you hand in a bucket of ice:

1. Make it a competition with at least one other person.
2. Have a helping partner and you each work non-competitively to help the other last longer on ice.
3. Imagine you were raising money for a cause and for every minute you kept your hand in the ice water you raised another $10 or $100.

Me, I’m going to skip the ice and focus on speed and agility.



Make Ten New Year's Resolutions to Become More Optimistic in 2011

By Dr. Russ

Most of you are finalizing or beginning to implement your New Year's Resolution list this first week of January.  The most common resolutions are about weight loss, fitness, health, wellness and spending less.  Why not make your New Year's Resolutions about becoming more optimistic every moment of every day?

Yes, you can actually plan to learn, practice, and become more optimistic in your VIEW of every life circumstance.  The first step is to set goals for optimism self improvement.  Use the New Year's Resolution Stamina Quiz below to help you formulate your goals for optimism self-improvement. 

There are 10 questions:

• Each question focuses on a different skill of optimism.  As you can see from the response choices, the most optimistic responses have to do with the speed and/or frequency with which you are able to take the OPTIMISTIC VIEW.  Thus, for example, in question one, if you want to learn to let go of a setback or negative event, the goal is stated in terms of how quickly you can "let go." 

Dr. Russ Buss New Years Resolution Optimism Stamina Quiz

Instructions: Circle the number next to the item that represents the desired improvement goal in optimistic perspective for you in 2011:

1). In 2011, I resolve to learn to quickly and easily “temporalize” the negative, let go of a rejection, lost sale, or mistake; put it behind me and focus on the next positive step.  My goal is to be able to this in:

1.      less than a minute

2.      less than 15 minutes

3.      less than an hour

4.      half a day or less

5.      a day or more

2). In 2011, when the “I Can Attitude” goes missing, I will practice and learn to get it back in:

1.      less than an hour

2.      one to three hours

3.      three to eight hours, eight to twelve hours

4.      a day or more

5.      several days

3). I resolve to learn to be able to put myself into a “Creative Zone” in any given moment in order generate new ideas or possible solutions to business opportunities or problems:

1.      Always

2.      Often

3.      Sometimes

4.      Rarely

5.      Never

4). In 2011, when I hit a roadblock to my plans, I will adapt and make needed changes in my goals and plans:

1.      Without any hesitation

2.      With a little hesitation

3.      With a fair amount of hesitation

4.      With difficulty

5.      With a great deal of difficulty

5). I will practice and learn to access the thought as needed: “no matter what the outcome or what happens to me in any given moment, I know it is how I view it that counts:” 

1.      Instantly

2.      With some effort and self-talk

3.      With a great deal of effort and self-talk

4.      A second thought much delayed by interference of worry and negative thinking

5.      A rare thought; a failure means I’m a failure

6). When I wake up in the morning, I resolve to be excited about all the new opportunities, possibilities and adaptations to change I will be making that day:

1.      Extremely excited

2.      Very excited

3.      Somewhat excited

4.      A little excited

5.      Not excited

7). In 2011, I resolve to take on one new challenge that involves the risk of failure. 

1.      Multiple times per day

2.      Daily

3.      Weekly

4.      Monthly

5.      Not at all

8). I resolve to seek out new ideas, knowledge and skill to make self-improvements in all major aspects of life including personal goals, relationships, career, job and work, health, wellness and fitness.

1.      Daily

2.      Weekly

3.      Monthly

4.      Quarterly

5.      Yearly

9). In 2011, I resolve to seek out and embrace disagreement and different perspectives as I evaluate various options and choices involved in any important decision.

1.      from many people

2.      from some people

3.      from a few people

4.      from one or two people

5.      rarely or never

10). In 2011, When I succeed or fail, I will think about: 

1.      Only the next step I need to take

2.      Mostly about the next step but also about how others will view me

3.      Equally about the next step and about how others will view me

4.      Mostly about how others will view me and a little about the next step

5.      Only about how others will view me

Scoring Key for New Years Resolution Optimism Stamina:

SCORING INSTRUCTIONS: Simply add the score, 1 - 5, that you gave each item. Your score should range from 10 to 50.  The lower the score, the higher the optimism challenge and goal setting for 2011. 

10 or less ~ Your OPTIMISM STAMINA GOALS are very ambitious.  Congratulations on your willingness to make this much effort to improve in 2011.

11-20 ~ Your OPTIMISM STAMINA GOALS are right on target; realistic but with challenges.

21-30 ~ Your OPTIMISM STAMINA GOALS reflect hesitation and caution.   Review them and see if you might want to set your sights a little higher.

31-40 ~ Your OPTIMISM STAMINA GOALS reflect either a low beginning point. i.e., you are trying to get out of a deep pessimism, or a fear of failure about becoming more optimistic. 

41-50 ~ Your OPTIMISM STAMINA GOALS reflect considerable hopeless and helplessness about your ability to change your VIEW to one of OPTIMISM. 

Encore: Create an Optimistic Organization a la Michael J. Fox

By Dr. Russ,

In continued celebration of a year of daily blogging since last April of 2009, I am posting this encore presentation on building a culture of optimism in an organization.

Dr. Russ Buss has attempted to synthesize some core principles of optimism presented by Michael J. Fox in his new book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, that can serve as guidelines for building and maintaining an Optimistic Organization; one that exudes a “Culture of Optimism.”

1. The Optimistic Organization actively counteracts negativity with positivity. The organization imbues the attitude and belief that it is not what happens to you, but how you view it that matters. As Michael J. Fox has taught us: We may not always have a choice about some of our circumstances in life, but we always have a choice about how we view them.
2. Optimistic workplaces create environments where everyone can share and exchange creative ideas; where individuals can explore, experience and immerse themselves in states of “relaxed-detachment” to promote creative incubation.
3. An Optimistic work-culture empowers individuals to accept, embrace, and deal with change. Adapting to change is viewed as an opportunity for individual and organizational growth. Training and development programs teach and prepare individuals to let go of outdated and now dysfunctional habits and personas, while actively supporting a workplace belief that the “inner self” can mount the effort and ability necessary to take on tough challenges.
4. Optimistic Organizations are not afraid to take risks. The culture encourages and empowers value-based, reasonable risk-taking, i.e., no short cuts, bring out best efforts and abilities people have to offer.
5. Every individual in the optimistic organization believes they have a purpose and mission within the organization.  The individuals can endorse the statement: My organization actively promotes: “The purpose that you wish to find in life requires the faith to take risks and a rejection of the bonds of fear; purpose is something for which one is responsible.” (Michael J. Fox, P. 178) Individuals are valued for efforts at self-improvement and constant re-birth and self-reinvention.
6. Optimistic organizations train and make available role models of optimistic thinking to provide guidance and mentoring to new and old employees. Note: The best golfers in the world are known to take more golf lessons everyday than the amateurs who could really use them. So, to maintain Great Optimism we need ongoing Optimistic Mentoring. The environment is one in which the individual is extremely comfortable, without any fear of stigma and ridicule, in seeking and asking for help anytime, anywhere.
7. Optimistic Organizations avoid “Group Think” by actively encouraging the expression and debate of a variety and opposing perspectives. When such a culture of diversity of input exists, individuals more naturally take responsibility for their choices, work hard to implement them, accept that a revision of choice and goals are needed when progress is limited, and are not afraid to make the “tough choices.”
8. In evaluating the individual’s strengths and weaknesses the Optimistic Organization does “performance appraisal” in the optimistic manner: assessment of strengths and weaknesses is done relative to accomplishment of specific short and long term goals – Task Orientation Focus.  The performance appraisal is not done in a pessimistic manner where the assessment of strengths and weaknesses is done relative to a personal or ego comparison: how the individual “stacks up” against other individuals or some ideal (but unrealistic) persona – Ego Orientation Focus.
9. Optimistic organizations take the “high road” when making decisions, sticking to the core values and principles of “Optimism.”
10. Optimistic Organizations recognize the core importance of stable family structures to the maintenance of an optimistic perspective in life and in the organization - each and every moment. As such, they promote policies that encourage family time together, teach core communication skills that help families work to stay together, and provide mutual support to the members.



Tom Izzo: One Super Skilled Optimist in Every Moment

By Dr. Russ

Believe it of not, there are times when I wonder if I have a clue what I am talking about.  For example, in my Optimistic Stamina Quiz the person who scores in the “highly skilled optimist” category can:

•    put a setback behind them in less than a minute 
•    always stay focused on what can be controlled 
•    adapt and make needed changes without hesitation 
•    easily accesses the creative zone in any given moment 
•    solve the problem and take the next step 
•    encourages teamwork and disagreement 
•    never wavering from the belief that is the VIEW that counts  

I ask myself: Is it really possible for someone to engage in OPTIMISM to that degree?  And then Tom Izzo and the MSU Men’s Basketball team shows up in the Final Four to prove the point that optimism can be practiced at an elite skill level. 

The key to highly skilled optimism is the speed and absolute consistency with which one maintains the positive view.

How important is a moment?  We can ask Tom Izzo about the moment he learned Kalin Lucas would be out for the season.  Tom only had a moment to react.  I have continually chortled my readers to live in the moment.  And sometimes a moment is all there is to react, make a decision, and take a risk before the opportunity is lost.

During halftime of the second round NCAA game against Maryland, Izzo had only a moment to reflect on what he could and would do once he learned that Kalin Lucas injury was season ending. He took that moment and in less than a minute:

•    recovered from the setback to begin planning the next step making needed changes in the lineup without hesitation,
•    drawing on his experience and creativity as a coach,
•    the spirit of teamwork instilled in the players over time,
•    while seeking disparate input from coaches and players,
•    before making a final decision.

Tom Izzo has demonstrated, once again, that it is possible to be a super skilled optimist without negativity or in-betweenism – not about luck – only about TEAM effort.  How did Tom come by this level of optimistic skill?  Perhaps he has “optimistic genes,” or it was taught in the day-to-day experience of growing up in Iron Mountain, Michigan.  He could have learned it from his mentor Jud Heathcote, but clearly he has refined and developed the skill over time so much so that he has learned how to teach the skill of optimism to his players.

I conclude, I do know what I am talking about. This high level of optimistic skill is not only attainable but trainable.