Most people would define optimism as being endlessly happy, with a glass that’s perpetually half full. But that’s exactly the kind of false cheerfulness that positive psychologists would not recommend. “Healthy optimism means being in touch with reality,” says Taal Ben-Shah-ar, a Harvard professor. According to Ben-Shah-ar, realistic optimists are those who make the best of things that happen, but not those who believe everything happens for the best.
Ben-Shah-ar uses three optimistic exercises. When he feels down—say, after giving a bad lecture—he grants himself permission to be human. He reminds himself that not every lecture can be a Nobel winner, some will be less effective than others. Next is reconstruction. He analyzes the weak lecture, learning lessons for the future about what works and what does not. Finally, there is perspective, which involves acknowledging that in the grand scheme of life, one lecture really does not matter.