Put On A Good Debate

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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 own pessimistic thoughts. 

The most thorough and useful study I’ve ever seen on how to do this is contained in Dr.Martin Seligman’s classic 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.

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 recognise 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.

What are your thoughts about it? Let me know in the comment section below.

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