A POSITIVE MINDSET - FROM 3Ps to 3Cs

Are you an optimistic or a pessimistic sort of person? Do you tend to emphasize positive aspects of a situation or point out what is likely to go wrong? Well, to identify yourself I have listed a few points to emphasize on the same.

Optimists tend to:

• Be more resilient
• Focus on solving the problem at hand
• Be less stressed or anxious
• Inspire others to lift their performance

Pessimists tend to:

• Lose heart easily
• Become depressed if something goes wrong
• Make others feel gloomy
• Act as a drain on other people's energy.

You might wonder as to why this classification matters? IT DOES! A positive mindset helps us to work better and achieve more. In fact, research suggests that optimists generally do better in life and fulfill more of their ambitions. Surprisingly, they tend to get more things wrong but are the ones who give up less likely. They accept mistakes as part of their learning curve. Dr. Martin Seligman has suggested that the optimistic or pessimistic characters stems from the way you account for the things that happen to you. This is described as 3Ps: Permanence, Pervasiveness and Personalization.

Permanence:
Following a bad experience
An optimist might say: This is a temporary setback, will revive back!
A pessimist might say: Things will never get better, will only worsen!

Pervasiveness:
An optimist will look on a setback as an isolated situation.
A pessimist will see a setback spreading throughout their lives, affecting almost everything!

Personalization:
when something goes wrong
An optimist takes control of events and looks out for the cause.
Pessimists tend to blame themselves and sink into depression.

The 3Ps help to explain why people (who seem to be very similarly gifted) can have very different approaches towards handling a situation. A behavioral change can bring about a phenomenal change in one's well being.To help with this behavioral change, try these 3Cs approach:

Change Can't to Can: Have a positive approach. Believe that anything is possible and proceed your way.
Control: Take control of your situation (that is going wrong) rather than falling into pessimistic mode. Make a firm decision that is only a temporary issue and can be sorted out.

Come up with alternatives: If something terribly goes wrong, try to think other possible alternatives. Do not stick to the same thinking pattern; instead work on different patterns.

Negative approaches threaten your ability to learn; they can make you lose confidence and cause it hard to cope up with complex issues. The more aware you become about yourself, the more you can challenge your apparent beliefs and begin to think more positively. A positive mindset makes this miracle happen!