May POWerful Word – OPTIMISM – Week 1
When bad things happen, we go through a lot of emotions. It’s normal to be sad, angry, frustrated or a combination of many feelings all at once. But even when we are feeling bad inside, most of us still have hope that things will get better, right? When we have hope and look on the bright side of things, we are showing “optimism.” Let’s say that together: Optimism! As a leader, why is optimism important? Optimists know that when they are having a bad day, it is (1) temporary (it won’t last forever!), (2) isolated (it’s only in one particular area- not every area in their lives), and (3) not personal- it’s not because s/he is unlucky or nobody likes him/her. Let’s work through it together. So an optimist might have failed the test but s/he knows it’s temporary. What might s/he say (i.e. I’ll do better next time!), S/he also knows that it’s isolated- not in all areas. What might she think to herself (i.e. I failed the math test but did well on my spelling quiz and history paper)? She also knows it’s not personal (how might she think?). Great!
If you have time: Talk about times when you were optimistic/hopeful even when things got tough!