Learned Optimism - Martin Seligman

It is refreshing when there is so much written about depression and anxiety to find a book that addresses ways in which to achieve more joy in life. Our level of optimism or pessimism will have a profound influence on what happens in our daily lives.

I often like to emphasize to people I am coaching the importance of focusing on what they can control and not being overcome by the way the world sometimes appears. Pay attention to making the daily contact you have with others count in a positive way. Martin Seligman gives us some practical ways to influence our own internal reality. If you want to start being positive there some important things to remember:

1. Focus on what you can influence

2. Optimism can be learned

Seligman’s book is a wealth of information as to how you can develop your own optimism. The key messages are to look at how you process good and bad events in your life. If you want to develop an optimistic mindset you must look at bad events as being temporary setbacks that are due to circumstance and not blame yourself. The focus must be the learnings from any situation. Seligman also looks at the influence of our parents and environment on our level of optimism. Think about the messages children are receiving as a result of the media coverage currently. It's a sad day when Sesame Street is interrupted for the latest update on terror. What does that do to the mental programming of a four year old? If you need some ideas rent “Life is Beautiful” to see how parents can cope in the most disastrous situations. Create the reality you want and see what follows. What we pay attention to we get more of. If we think that doom and gloom are is ahead of us for life then we can manifest that in reality. If we use the old training acronym for FEAR (False Expectations Appearing Real) we can start to get back the balance of perspective. So many of our fears end up being unfounded. It is important to remember that what we pay attention to also determines what we miss. How can we learn to be more positive? I was reminded of focusing on what we can control when I saw the documentary by Michael Moore, Bowling for Columbine. Whether you love Michael Moore, hate him or have never heard of him the documentary is a powerful piece. If you have seen the movie it is very thought provoking and timely in its release. The message that I felt most was how gradually over time with the impact of the media, people can be swept away in their own fears and lose touch with what is actually their current reality. In losing touch with what is real to them they actually begin to feel powerless over things that they can influence, such as their own thoughts and actions. This brings us back to Learned Optimism. This is a great book for instructing you on how to take back conscious control of your own internal dialogue. What have you done this week yourself to be more optimistic? Maybe getting hold of Learned Optimism would be a good start.

Review by Kathy McKenzie