Of course, the belief that optimism is a key driver in success is
not new. In the 1950s, for example, Normal Vincent Peale
published The Power of Positive Thinking. The book’s message –
that faith, prayer and positive thinking were the keys to a
successful life – has much in common with modern secular research
on optimism. And it was wildly successful. The book had a record-
setting run on best-seller lists, and formed the basis of what
could be called an “empire of inspiration” analogous in many ways
to the multimedia empires of today’s top self-help gurus. Peale
wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column, published a monthly
magazine, and even sold long-playing records of his sermons,
forerunners of today’s success audiotape programs.
The big question is how, or if, can someone become more optimistic?
Can you simply “choose” to think more positively? Peale certainly
believe so, and advocated “mind emptying” – the practice of
clearing the mind of all fears and anxieties while replacing
them with positive thoughts. Today, researchers and therapists
confirm that people can in fact learn to become more optimistic,
although today's techniques are a bit more sophisticated.
We explored many of these optimism-building techniques, including
how to battle your "automatic negative thoughts," in our July
4th newsletter on "Declaring Independence from Negative Thinking."
Another powerful tool for optimism is "2P & 3P thinking." When
good things happen to you, and when you accomplish your goals,
try to understand why those events occurred in Personal,
Permanent and Pervasive terms.
If you manage a successful project at work, take credit
for that success. Attributing it to your intelligence, for
example, offers an explanation that is personal (you are
intelligent), permanent (you’ll always be intelligent) and
pervasive (your intelligence will help on other projects as
well).
Of these three dimensions, permanency is the most seductive.
Attributing success to intelligence dulls your ambition and
lures you into a comfort zone. As a result, “2P” explanations –
such as hard work – are often even better. As an explanation,
effort is personal (you worked hard) and pervasive (you can
work hard on other projects), and although it’s not permanent
(you might or might not work hard in the future), it is
certainly a factor under your control.
Therapists routinely encourage their clients to take credit for
their successes in 2P and 3P terms. Successful parents do the
same for their children. These explanations encourage further
progress and build momentum, fostering persistence and bold action.
So if you want to take your life to the next level, start taking
credit for your progress and past successes with optimistic 2P
and 3P thinking.


by Dr. Stephen Kraus, Success Scientist sunrise@gonafly.com