O = Optimism & Optimize

Our premise for this series is this:  If plan A fails we still have twenty-five other options.

For our “O” word we need to consider two words …

“Optimism” and “Optimize”.

The first word is an attitude word.  It is a forward-looking word.  The popular synonyms are …

   Hopeful

      Cheerfulness

         Confidence

            Brightness

In our premise of having failed at something, the first and most important thought to hold onto is one of optimism.  We have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and see over the failure to a more optimistic future. 

As we evaluate our losses, what do we see?

As we think about our future do we see a bright promise or dismal defeat?

You can readily see the importance of holding onto an optimistic outlook when your situation looks dismal.  If we are of the positive mindset, we immediately begin to see how we might do things a bit differently the next time around.

We see other solutions to dilemmas we faced in the middle of our failure.

We look for answers in the ashes and rubble of our ruin and rebuild with those scraps of what is left of our dream.

An optimistic person is a hope-filled person who sees starting all over again as a bright promise to do better and make better.  Often there arises inside of us a confidence that lets us know we still have what it takes to overcome the immediate obstacles and see with clarity a brighter tomorrow.

Optimism is another way of saying “I will try again tomorrow.”

Our next word is “Optimize”.  A great working definition is “to make something function at its best or most effective, or use something to its best advantage.”

We already have some tools that have been placed in our hands with the failure of our goals and dreams. 

What have they taught us? 

Where did we go wrong?

Did we have the right people on board?

Did we manage our human resources well?

Did we manage our financial resources to best effect?

What knowledge did we lack and where do we find that knowledge today?

We optimize the answers to our failures so that we can rise up from the ashes of defeat and build something greater, more solid and more successful.

If a boss, manager or leader is weak in his/her abilities to optimize, maybe it is time to consider a consultant, an expert in the very area of your weakness.  If we can’t see the problems of our past, then allow fresh eyes to see them for us and help build a bridge over what went wrong. 

Optimizing at its core is making use of the good and the bad of a situation and creating something better. 

We use defeat to its best advantage to avoid defeat in the future.  And that is not just a play on words. 

I am often reminded of the Apollo 13 mission and their attempt to land on the moon.  Soon after they heard the loud bag and assessed the situation, they began asking questions.  These three took prominence.

“Where could the problem be?”  (Problem solving question)

“How could it be?”  (Philosophical/operational question)

“What can we do?”  (Attitude question)

With these three questions at the top of their list, the astronauts and ground crew immediately set about finding answers and resolving dilemmas. 

Thankfully they were able to bring Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert home safely by optimizing everything possible both on board the spacecraft and every fact inside the head of every engineer and ground crew member.  

NASA called Apollo 13 a successful failure, and it stands today as a phenomenal example of contained optimism and optimizing every available bit of information they could gather.

A final word:

Gene Kranz, lead flight director for Apollo 13, used this phrase.

That is optimism. 

Optimism is optimized by focusing on solutions.  Solutions come from believing you can solve the disappointing issues at hand.

P Michael Biggs

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