Monday, January 2, 2023

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023. Thank you for reading in 2022, I am very excited for what the new year will bring. If you typically follow the newsletter but do not navigate to practice-optimism.com, please make sure you take a look at some of the new material on the website. There are new articles, children’s stories, and more in-depth conversations about the topics we cover every Monday. Thank you again and enjoy!

Don’t, You Can’t, Not Possible

The birth of a new year calls for a refresher.

Practical

1. Concerned with the actual use or doing of something as opposed to theories or ideas.
2. Likely to succeed in real circumstances; feasible

Optimism

1. Confidence about the future or the outcome of the future
2. The belief that your current situation is the best it could be, right now.

Practical Optimism

1. An action based, realistic approach to exploring your life in a positive light or while pursuing positive outcomes.
2. A belief system that an increase in positive thoughts and actions will lead to an increase in success where directed. This could result in success for an individual or group.

Optimism is a positive attitude. Practical optimism is a systematic game plan for tackling the good and bad in life. We must address the impact of internal and external factors on our lives in the short term and long term. Some of these factors include our mood or reaction to things, other factors include the people or places as we explore our purposes and paths.

We have established that regardless of the path we choose, we must manage our relationships with time, other people, and with their constant flow in and out of our imbalanced lives.

For some, entering 2023 will feel like a slow stroll in the shallows on the beach, for others they will think they went sky diving without a parachute. Whether you have set a hefty new year’s resolution or feel scared about what 2023 will bring, take a step back and take control.

My childhood friend, Zach, used to always tell people, “If you tell Will he can’t do something he is not only going to do it, but make you watch while he does.” We became best friends in 4^th grade and he learned very early that someone saying “don’t” or “you can’t” or “not possible” made me think the opposite. Healthy or not, as I reflect on those moments I realized that thinking about what isn’t possible makes it difficult to motivate, stay disciplined, and it’s a lot less fun than testing your limits.

On the first Monday of 2023, commit to testing your limits. Limits come in many shapes and sizes. Before you tackle limits that come from other people, examine the box you already put yourself in. Why can’t you apply for a bigger role at work? Why can’t you start your own company or start training for a competition? Take it one day and step at a time.

As I finish this week’s newsletter, I am gearing up to write a private list of 5 things I want to accomplish in 2023. Some are small, others are big. Make yours public if you want but no matter what, work as hard as you can.

Make the list. Start working. Put this title at the top of the page:

Do. You can. Possible.