Zoe Williams, a columnist in the British newspaper The Guardian, argues in a recent blog^⁠  that we are not to blame for the current recession and economic crisis and is angry that the government wants us to rise up and take more responsibility. In fact if you read widely on the whole subject of the economic crisis, there is a lot of blame culture around. Blaming of government, the bankers, the world decision makers and far less emphasis on individuals taking responsibility and actually dealing with the new reality. Apparently, we could not have worked harder, we had to borrow money, we had to buy property. And now we can’t work harder in a non-existent job, we can’t start businesses when banks won’t lend us money, we can’t find a job because there aren’t any/we are too old/don’t have enough experience and we can’t leave the country to work or live elsewhere.

Yes, much blame can be laid at the door of politicians and bankers but this kind of blame-thinking is narrow-minded and does not help any of us. We are not helpless victims  – each of us has untapped potential and strengths that we generally do not use to our full. What better way to discover these than a situation that invites you to step up to the plate. Another way of looking at the times we now live in is to view them as an exciting era of opportunity and change. Difficult and challenging – yes. Impossible to rise above and succeed? Not necessarily, especially if you look from within for your strength, resource and security.

How optimistic are you really? How do you view difficult events in your life? Let’s face it – there are a lot of things to feel negative about. And in an uncertain world where traditional supportive structures like secure employment are eroding and we are experiencing challenges and opportunities like never before, cultivating and maintaining optimism is more important than ever. Research demonstrates that optimistic people are more successful and healthier and live longer. For many people there is an “optimism bias” hard wired into the brain but for those who are more pessimistically orientated, the good news is that optimism can be learnt.

Martin Seligman says in “Flourish” that we’ve been living in a bit of a “therapy century” and that the therapist’s job has traditionally been to minimise negative emotion by  psychological interventions that make people less anxious, angry or depressed. Along the way parents and teachers have joined in. What is more essential though, is to learn to function well even if you are sad, anxious or angry. The truth is that even if you had all the therapy in the world, there will be days when you wake up feeling blue or down or uncertain. What’s far important is to not only fight those feelings but to actually live your life heroically which means functioning well, even when you are sad. Genuine optimists stay grounded in the real world. They size up situations accurately, and if there is a problem, they face it and seek solutions. They play the hero in their own lives, which leads to personal growth and offers a real chance for improving any situation. The hallmarks of optimism include 1) accurately assessing a situation, 2) seeing problems as temporary and not pervasive and 3) having faith in your own ability to implement solutions, adjust and move forward constructively.

The key question is – if optimism can be learned, can we train others to develop this in themselves?