Discussion: Pessimist vs. Optimist
Take a moment to reflect on the following quote. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” (Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, 1874 – 1965). What does this quote mean to you? How do attitude and enthusiasm influence our behavior and action? Discuss ways you can display a positive attitude in the work environment.
Submission:
The initial post must be a minimum of 250 words, and contain a minimum of 2 scholarly references (e.g. journals, textbooks, edu websites, etc.)
Discussion: Pessimist vs. Optimist
An optimist person can be described as a person, who is inclined to be hopeful always and always builds a positive approach toward life. On the other hand, a pessimist person, who only tends to attract only towards the negative aspects of life. The quote which has been selected for this week’s discussion is appropriately stated that circumstances are not to be blamed for being good or bad. It’s only the perspective of human beings to see the thing positively or negatively. A positive person will always be able to find the positive fact in any situation whereas a negative person will build excuses and find the negative aspects of any situation or circumferences.
Our behavior and our actions are highly dominated by our belief system. It is quite obvious that everyone has to face a lot of up and down in their life. Life has its own rule and doesn’t follow a smooth path, which makes it highly uncertain. In this uncertainty, attitude, and behaviors are the thing that gives the individual more strength to adopt the ongoing changing principle of life. Studies have shown that the people who develop the most positive attitudes toward life are more prone to have a healthy lifestyle, social bonding, mental, emotional, and social. Stability (Barnfield, Cross & McCauley, 2018, p.1826). On the other hand, pessimist people always look at the dark phases of life, which not only makes them demotivated but also detached them from the positivity around them. It is always recommended that we should always look into the positive approaches in our life.
The approaches which have to be adopted to improve positivity in life include meditation, positive affirmation, counseling, and continuous self-practice. Reading positive and motivating books, listening to motivational speeches, accompanying the motivated person and sharing their view with them, or seeking their help whenever someone feels negative are the strategies that can be developed to inbuilt the optimist approach within human beings. In the case of the healthcare setting, staying positive is the most crucial factor, because this is the profession where there is a high risk of life is present. Accidents, trauma, and fatal consequences are very high in the hospital environment. Studies have shown that staying positive in the working field of health increases internal bonding, cooperation, trust and affection, and productivity among healthcare workers (Limbu, Piryani & Sunny, 2020, p.25).
References:
Barnfield, J., Cross, W., & McCauley, K. (2018). Therapeutic optimism and attitudes among medical and surgical nurses towards attempted suicide. International Journal of mental health nursing, 27(6), 1826-1833.
Limbu, D. K., Piryani, R. M., & Sunny, A. K. (2020). Healthcare workers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic response in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. PloS one, 15(11), e0242126.
