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Jackie King: Optimism and the Ultimate Other
Dr Jackie King and Victor Perton in Conversation
Jackie is the author of "The Ultimate Other: Woman. Divorced. Jew."
Victor Perton: What makes you optimistic, Jackie? Is your optimism shaped by your life experiences, faith, mindset, the facts, or the people around you?
Jackie King: I am optimistic about my own ability to navigate difficult situations, be resilient, and learn and grow through personal transformation. This is mainly shaped by my life experiences, a curious mindset, and a love of learning.
I have thought a lot about how the book, The Ultimate Other, encompasses and reflects this optimism:
- Design Thinking as a Tool for Empowerment: The book introduces design thinking as a method for individuals to iterate and experiment to direct their lives rather than being passive recipients of circumstance. The framework demonstrates that individuals can actively shape their futures and feeling a sense of agency to make change.
- Embracing Vulnerability and Otherness: the book promotes a sense of hope that being different can lead to strength and self-acceptance.
- Focus on Self-Compassion: The book emphasises the importance of self-compassion to overcome the inner critic and embrace personal growth and provides a sense of optimism and encouragement to embrace their vulnerabilities and imperfections as a necessary part of their journey.
- Reclaiming Agency and Defining Success: The book conveys the optimism in the possibility of making different choices beyond externa measures of success, with a focus on learning rather than failure.
- A Focus on the "Now": The book suggests that although past experiences might shape who we are, we can live in the moment by focusing on the present and the future, and the changes we can make for ourselves right now. That is, a sense of optimism for living more authentically, despite a challenging history.
- Resilience: The author's personal story demonstrates resilience as a means of overcoming challenges, learning, and moving forward in the face of difficulties with optimism.
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