Did you ever hear your elders tell you that too much can lead to illness? These elders were absolutely right. Positive thinking is key to success for most people. We learn to be positive in all situations. But what if one day you discover that your overly optimistic approach towards everything is the real reason why you haven’t achieved anything concrete in life?
It can be difficult to swallow, however, many studies support this fact. People have accomplished great things with positive attitudes and the right amount optimism over the years. However, nobody ever claimed that positive thinking was the best way to achieve success.
Below are 4 signs that your positive outlook could be keeping you from attaining success:
1.Negative feelings are ignored
Balance is the key to a happy life.. You learn the value of “good” because of the existence of “evil.” People value life because death is undeniable. You must also keep your negative and positive emotions in check in order to be successful in life. There’s no way you can feel complete if you start ignoring all your negative feelings.
You may not be able to see the reasons you need to make changes in your life if you remain positive and do not experience emotional pain. Anger and rage are negative emotions that can help people learn how to thrive in the face of all kinds of challenges.
There was a study done when researchers asked a group of students with low self-esteem to repeat the statement “I’m a lovable person”, the students ended up feeling more insecure than ever. Perhaps it would have worked more if the students were forced to admit their insecurity.
2. Your own reality
While people might tell you that optimism is essential for a successful life, the reality of the matter can be distorted by the fact that it often keeps you from recognizing the root problem. Overoptimism can cloud your thinking and affect your ability to make good decisions. This can lead to us not being able to assess the potential risks.
Overly optimists often feel confident and invincible. This makes us believe that anything bad is possible. Every day, we make unhealthy lifestyle choices, like smoking and drinking (alcoholism), thinking it won’t affect us too much. In reality, they are major causes of fatal diseases such as cancer or cirrhosis.
OptimismIt is good. It encourages us to take the leap of faith when everything else slips out of our hands, but when you start ignoring the real situation or begin to believe that magic is going to happen – that’s where you make a mistake.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”– Winston Churchill
3.Imagine you have control of everything
Have you ever heard of the term “illusion of control?” Psychologists describe it as a tendency in people to overestimate their ability to control every outcome. The chances are you might also have an illusion of control if your outlook is too positive about all things.
Let’s make the point even simpler for you with an example. You might have seen that people continue to invest in lotteries despite the fact their chances of winning are only one in a million. It’s funny how people think they have a better chance at winning if they get to pick the numbers for themselves in a lottery.
It is important to evaluate all factors in a difficult situation and not get too excited or overly optimistic. It can make it difficult to see the reality of the situation through a positive lens. This can eventually cause us to fail.
4.You can find solace and peace in utopian thoughts
The only way to succeed is to dare to be different from the restNot to people who think only of success. Their productivity suffers when they are forced to envision the most efficient way to complete a given task. People perform better when they are encouraged to consider the negative or realistic consequences.
True, we lose motivation often when we realize how easy it is to conquer the obstacles. It becomes difficult to persuade the mind that the goal is achievable once the mind has experienced success.
Recent research revealed that individuals who have a positive outlook are less likely to be able to repay their outstanding debts. People who are more optimistic tend to save less than average. They believe they are able to tackle every one of these problems. What they don’t understand is that they are actually dragging themselves into a bigger problem.
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the Odds are not in your favor.” – Elon Musk
Conclusion
You can’t be successful no matter what self-help books or motivational talks you hear. Unless you find your way around your emotions, there is no point in reading them.
Optimism can be helpful if it’s put in the right place. Although optimism can help you achieve success in a lot of ways, don’t get too excited about all your positive thoughts or utopian ideas. The best way to succeed is perhaps to find the right balance between optimism and realistic thinking.
Is it possible to strike a delicate balance between optimism, realism and hope? Comment below to share your views.
Image via Twenty20.com
Addicted 2 Success first published this article: Your overwhelming optimism may be stopping you from succeeding.
This article appeared originally on Addicted 2 Success.