Obama’s Delusional Optimism

Awareness is the first step to freedom… and with the economic crisis facing Europe and USA its essential that Australians become better aware of the potential challenges heading our way.

The times are changing quickly and we must be a step ahead.

Now before I start sounding pessimistic, I’d like to highlight that as entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs, our greatest state of being is when we are centred, grounded and clearly focused on the future, and part of that process includes what is possibly ahead and how to best prepare to deal with it.

From experience, having worked and interviewed many successful leaders, most have shared this common approach; that they like knowing what’s potentially ahead so they can best plan for the outcomes even if they can’t change the situation.

This approach is what I regard as grounded realism.

Knowing when a “runaway train” is heading your way gives you clear evidence that you best get out of its way and reposition, otherwise it can do some serious damage to all that’s in its path.

This awareness can inspire you to strategically outmaneuver the competition and position yourself and your business to take advantage of the “once in a lifetime” opportunities that will be presented, as most people would not have “actively” seen the upcoming problems until it’s far too late.

Get your mind clear, as late decisions can be costly and dramatic. Take time to analyse what is happening – speak to people you trust and respect like colleagues, mentors and confidantes; however be aware that many people engage in group think and at times that can be the blind spot in their vision for their future.

Practice contrarian thinking; it can be risky but also a transformational life force that allows you  to think and act differently.

Finally, as author Barbara Ehrenreich said, “When it comes to how we think, “negative” is not only the alternative to “positive”. As the case histories of depressives show, consistent pessimism can be just as baseless and deluded as its opposite. The alternative to both is realism – seeing the risks, having the courage to bear bad news and being prepared for famine as well as plenty”. Learn how to be proactive, start at CenterForExecutiveCoaching.com.

Maybe its time we give grounded realism a try; if it doesn’t serve us, we can alway go back to our previous thinking?

What do you think?