February 17th. You’ve been waiting for this day for WEEKS, and it’s finally here.
You and your best friends are all packed and heading to the airport for your flight to Puerto Rico. Your five day adventure is within reach.
You can almost feel the warm Puerto Rican air on your skin as you step out of your Uber on this snowy Boston morning.
It’s 8:42 — plenty of time to grab some food before your 10 o’clock flight. You rush through TSA and get to your gate. As you sit down at the restaurant, you feel a faint vibration in your jacket pocket.
You slide your iPhone out of your pocket and glance down at the screen. You notice the distinct dark blue and royal red of the Fly Delta app. Oh no…
* BOS flight 2873 to SJU: updated departure time is 1:00 PM EST *
You gotta be kidding me. A 3-hour delay?!
There are two types of responses to situations like these:
The pessimist: let this ruin my day and everyone else’s around me.
The optimist: let me be irritated for five minutes and then move on.
We all know some pessimists. They complain about minor things. They dwell on the past. They try to explain why your brilliant idea “would never work!”
Instead, be the optimist.
Not only will you be a happier person by doing so, but I’ll also venture to say that being an optimist will make you far more likable.
And being likable is the most underrated skill you can develop.
Don’t believe me? Follow along with this thought exercise:
Meet Dawn
Dawn’s a former personal trainer who wants to change her career path. She’s spent the last 7 months teaching herself how to code and meeting people in the industry. She certainly has a long way to go, but isn’t afraid to put herself out there.
Meet Ron
Ron’s a Computer Science grad who’s been programming on his own for a couple months, so he’s got some experience under his belt. He too has been putting himself out there.
Ron and Dawn both attend the same Airbnb networking panel.
Ron spoke to a few employees about his programming knowledge. The conversations were strictly business.
Dawn asked intriguing questions and expressed her genuine interest in software, while acknowledging that she was still learning.
Unfortunately, Airbnb wasn’t looking to hire at the time.
Just a few months later, however, the company started planning new host features and needed to hire more young developers to help build them out.
Who do you think got a call?
Dawn left a lasting impression, and although she wasn’t a pro by any means, she left the team with the feeling that she was humble, coachable, and personable.
Your reputation stays with you, and is often the first thing people learn about you before they even meet you.
Before we wrap up, let me leave you with three observations.
Optimism > Pessimism
This is an easy one. Without repeating what I said earlier, the point here is that optimists lean towards finding solutions rather than complaining.
Even if they can’t find a solution, optimists learn to accept things as they are and roll with the punches.
Optimism should never be confused with living in fantasyland and being unrealistic, and Matt Ridley explains this concept very well in his book, The Rational Optimist.
Express gratitude
Be grateful for all those little things you take for granted.
Sure, getting stuck in traffic for half an hour this morning did suck, but don’t forget to be thankful for having a job in the first place.
Being an optimist is REALLY easy when you realize how fortunate you are.
Don’t take yourself too seriously
No, this doesn’t mean you always need to be agreeable. You’re allowed to have opinions and points of view.
Just find the humor in every day things. Be lighthearted.
Don’t let your ego keep you from having an open mind.
Thanks for listening. See you on the next episode of The Principle Podcast.
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