Optimism is to business as a healthy lifestyle is to the body. A healthy lifestyle is mainly the outcome of a positive outlook on life. It defines one’s relationship with body, soul, loved ones, and one’s living environment. Our living environment is the manifestation of our imagination. What we imagine starts happening around us, about us, and our reality starts shaping itself accordingly. A great example of that is the Sci-Fi program called Star Trek which came out in the 1960s. Most of the gadgets imagined for that futuristic television program are in our hands today, and we use them without thinking twice. Optimism energizes the imagination, capitalizes on opportunities, and captures possibilities. 

In business, or in general, when things go haywire, optimism is the tranquilizer that soothes you for a better tomorrow. Is there an organized way to induce optimism at a difficult moment? Is there a way to spread optimism throughout an organization? Can optimism be used to turn around a business prospect? Does optimism need a reality check? Shall it be tamed by the resources at hand? The answers to these questions will come from the perceived behavior of the business’s leadership. 

For us to get up in the morning and go to work is a tribute to optimism itself. Inducing optimism first thing in the morning by smiling and encouraging team members to do their best is just a start. Having periodic facetime with organizational stakeholders reminding them of the progress that has been made, the challenges that have been overcome, and the objectives that need to be achieved will help in spreading optimism throughout the organization. Optimism ignites hope. Hope gives the energy to plan for the future; with careful choices, one can turn any business around.