The Positive Pessimist
By Mark David
Originally published in
From the Field
October 2001
Can pessimism be positive? Although the term "positive
pessimism" may be considered an oxymoron, practicing
positive pessimism is anything but moronic. Positive
pessimism in action is the practice of Crisis Anticipation*
(Self-Manager Principle #24).
Crisis Anticipation is the process of predicting possible
obstacles and developing a plan to overcome them before
they happen. Sometimes planning for the worst can be the
best thing we can do for ourselves. Let's face it, there
are times when even the best-laid plans go awry. Remember
Murphy's Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.
Individuals that are prepared for this make the proper
adjustments when crises occur, achieve solid success
despite crises and continue to move toward their goals.
Crisis Anticipation will help you eliminate or overcome
anything that can get in the way of achieving your goals.
When things do go wrong, the positive pessimist is prepared
and takes action rather than suffering from a reaction.
To practice Crisis Anticipation and become a positive
pessimist, take the following steps:
- Visualize a future circumstance. It could be a
special event, a business meeting, a health or fitness
goal, etc.
- Brainstorm all of the possible obstacles or negative
occurrences that could stand in the way of achieving your
goal within that circumstance. Create a list of these
obstacles.
- Once you anticipate all plausible crises, write down
a plan or idea to either prepare for or prevent each.
- What insight did you gain by practicing Crisis
Anticipation?
By looking for opportunities to turn negatives into
positives, you will become more productive, confident and
cool under pressure. You will continue on your path to
success no matter how many obstacles come your way.
(*Crisis Anticipation is Self-Manager Principle #24 in
The Self-Manager Success Journal.)
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