Put on a good debate

Put on a good debate

Negative thinking is something we all do. The difference between the
person who is primarily optimistic and the person who is primarily
pessimistic is that the optimist learns to become a good debater. Once
you become thoroughly aware of the effectiveness of optimism in your
life, you can learn to debate your pessimistic thoughts.

The most thorough and useful study I've ever seen on how to do this is
contained in Dr. Martin Seligman's classical work, Learned Optimism.
The studies done by Seligman demonstrate two very profound
revelations: 1) optimism is more effective than pessimism; and 2)
optimism can be learned.

Seligman based his findings on years of statistical research. He studied
professional and amateur athletes, insurance salespeople, and even
politicians running for office. His scientific studies proved that optimists
dramatically outperform pessimists. So what Norman Vincent Peale had
been saying for years in his books on the power of positive thinking was finally proven to be scientifically
true.

Peale had based his books on testimonials and supportive biblical
passages. The problem with that was that the people he needed to reach
the most—skeptics and pessimists—were precisely the kinds of people
who would not be anxious to take anything on faith. But once you've
digested the remarkable writings of Seligman, you can go back and read
Peale with a new sense of excitement. If you don't accept his religious
references, it doesn't matter—the personal testimonials are stimulating
enough to give his writing great power. Although his most famous book
is The Power of Positive Thinking, I have derived much more
motivation from Stay Alive All Your Life and The Amazing Results of
Positive Thinking.
If you are now skeptical about your power to debate your own
pessimistic thoughts, keep in mind that most of us are already great
debaters. If somebody comes in and takes one side of an argument, we
can usually take the other side and make a case, no matter which side
the first person took. Debate teams have to learn to do this. Team
members never know until the last second which side of the argument
they will be debating, so they learn to be prepared to passionately argue
either side.

If you catch yourself brooding, worrying, and thinking pessimistically
about an issue, the first step is to recognize your thoughts as being
pessimistic. Not wrong or untrue—just pessimistic. And if you are going
to get the most out of your bio-computer (the brain), you must
acknowledge that pessimistic thoughts are less effective.
Once you've accepted the pessimistic nature of your thinking, you are
ready to take the next step. (This first step is crucial though. As
Nathaniel Branden teaches,

"You can't leave a place you've never been.") The second step is to
build a case for the optimistic view.


Start to argue against your first line of reasoning. Pretend you're an
attorney whose job is to prove the pessimist in you wrong. Start off on
building your case for what's possible. You'll surprise yourself.

Optimism is by nature expansive—it opens door after door to what's
possible. Pessimism is just the opposite—it is constrictive. It shuts the
door on possibility. If you really want to open up your life and motivate
yourself to succeed, become an optimistic thinker.

I'm reading: Put on a good debate