To be a successful entrepreneur, optimism should be a driving force for progress. Working wholeheartedly toward a goal requires a firm belief that it can be achieved. We must believe in our plans, abilities, and fortitude. An optimistic attitude will give us further momentum when things are going well, and help us get through when things aren’t going well. Optimism is a key ingredient in accomplishing difficult goals and succeeding in business.

Being optimistic doesn’t mean you don’t expect problems—it means believing you will overcome them. You will find a way to keep going forward. Optimists see problems not just as challenges, but as opportunities. Dealing with problems makes us better at what we do. There are good lessons in every problem we encounter. (Pessimists only see the negative side when problems arise. Rather than work to find the solution, they tend to give up quickly.)

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” (Sir Winston Churchill)

Benefits of optimism

• Helps you work harder
• Helps you work better
• Helps you be more resilient
• Gives you less stress
• Has a contagious effect toward others
• Inspires confidence in others
• Helps you be more persistent
• Helps you learn the lessons that are available

Ways to be more optimistic

• Have an optimistic phrase that you repeat many times each day. (Muhammad Ali stayed optimistic by constantly uttering “I am the greatest… I am the greatest of all time.”)
• Visualize progress and success. Keep mental pictures that are as detailed as possible
• Continuously reaffirm a tangible goal. (The actor Jim Carrey used to keep a check in his wallet made out to himself for one million dollars. He repeatedly said to himself and others “One day, I’m going to cash that check.”)
• Use the words “I can” often, and avoid the words “I can’t.”
• Always look for the positive side of things.
• Don’t complain, criticize or make excuses.
• Be inspired by true stories of people overcoming great odds.
• Give yourself a pat on the back sometimes.
• Smile more.
• Learn to manage or ignore the things you can’t change.
• Find things to marvel at.

The story of the two shoe salesmen

Two shoe salesmen working for different manufacturers traveled to the same country in Africa, attempting to find a new market for selling shoes. The first salesman looked around at the people, then called the home office and said, “This is pointless… The people here don’t even wear shoes… We will never sell any.” The second salesman looked around at the people, then called the home office and said, “Send me everything! We can sell shoes to the whole country!”

The story of the optimist child and the pessimist child

A man had two sons. One was an extreme optimist and the other was an extreme pessimist. He decided to teach them both a lesson. He told them he had a surprise gift for each of them. To the pessimist child he gave a room full of beautiful toys. To the optimist child he gave a big pile of horse manure. When the pessimist child saw the room full of toys, he started crying. “What’s wrong?” said the father. The son said “The toys are so beautiful that I’m afraid I will break them if I play with them.” When the optimist child saw the pile of horse manure, he started laughing, jumping and celebrating. “Why are you so happy?” said the father. The son said “With all of this horse manure, there must be a pony around here somewhere!”

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