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What's your Optimism Superpower?
By Victor Perton
I believe optimism is a superpower. In a time when life can feel clouded by pessimism, optimism helps us see clearly, lead with confidence, and move towards a better future.
One of the great joys of my research is discovering the rich language people use to describe their optimism. Again and again, I see that optimism comes in many forms, and each form can help us grow into a stronger, steadier, more infectiously optimistic version of ourselves.
The collection below gathers those many expressions of optimism. I hope it helps you recognise your own optimism superpower, and perhaps discover a new one.
Before you explore the collection, pause for a moment and answer:
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My optimism superpower is ...........
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I see that optimism superpower most clearly when ...........
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The next way I will use my optimism superpoweris ..........
Try This Exercise: Pick one of these optimisms as your superpower: Write about that superpower and how it is reflected in your life, work, relationships and spirit.
Natural optimism, resilient optimism, purposeful optimism, realistic optimism, cautious optimism, relentless optimism, infectious optimism, professional optimism, sunny optimism, abundant optimism, worried optimism, sparkling optimism, serene optimism, bold optimism, stubborn optimism, radical optimism, magnetic optimism, audacious optimism or climate optimism. Try any one of the optimisms in the list of optimisms below.
You can use this online form version of the superpowers exercise.
Explore the collection below and notice which expression of optimism feels most like you.
Abundance Optimism or Abundant Optimism?
Active optimism, adaptive optimism or Afro-Optimism?
Aggressive Optimism or agile optimism?
Angry Optimism? Altruistic Optimism?
Apocalyptic optimism, audacious optimism or authentic optimism.
Balanced optimism, A beacon of optimism OR Believable Optimism ("He is believably optimistic about all sorts of things")
Bold optimism, boundless optimism, buoyant optimism, brash optimism or brazen optimism?
Brutal optimism, bubbly optimism, bulletproof optimism
Calculated optimism?
Can-do optimism, cautious optimism,
Christian optimism, civic optimism and clear-eyed optimism.
Cockeyed optimism.
(See "Joe Biden is a bit of a Cockeyed Optimist")
Conscious optimism, conditional optimism, congenital optimism or consistent optimism?
Constant Optimism?
Constructive optimism, or contagious optimism?
Creative optimism?
Covert optimism, creative optimism, critical optimism or cultural optimism?
Data-driven optimism or defiant optimism
Deep Optimism or Deep-Seated Optimism?
Defensive Optimism?
Defiant Optimism or Definite Optimism?
Deliberate optimism, Desperate Optimism, or Despairing Optimism?
Determined Optimism?
Diehard Optimism? Directed Optimism?
Dispositional optimism, disruptive optimism or diversity optimism?
Dogged optimism or dynamic optimism?
Ebullient optimism, eco-optimism, effort optimism, or electoral optimism?
Empowered Optimism?
Encouraging optimism?
Endless Optimism, enduring optimism, engaged optimism or Engendered Optimism?
Enormous optimism, enthusiastic optimism or eternal optimism?
Existential optimism?
Extraordinary optimism or Extreme Optimism?
Fantastic optimism?
Fervid optimism or Fatalistic Optimism?
Fervent Optimism
(See Geffrye Parsons is Fervently Optimistic)
Fierce optimism? Bill Clinton and Oprah have described themselves as fierce optimists.
Fighting optimism, flexible optimism, forever hopeful optimism, forward-thinking optimism or free-range optimism?
Fundamental Optimism?
(Read Australian PM Albanese's use of this term)
Generalised optimism, a glimmer of optimism, great optimism or grounded optimism?
Growth-giving Optimism?
Guarded Optimism?
Healthy Optimism, heart-based optimism or heart-stirring optimism?
High Optimism?
Honest Optimism or Hopeful Optimism?
Hopeful in-the-closet optimist?
Idealistic Optimism or Imaginative Optimism?
immigrant optimism?
Incurable optimism or infectious optimism?
Immense optimism.
Indefatigable optimism.
Infinite optimism or impatient optimism.
Inner Optimism?
Innovators’ optimism or insecure optimism?
Intelligent optimism, or intentional optimism?
Irredeemable optimism
or irrepressible optimism?
Invincible Optimism?
Latent optimism and laughter-filled optimism.
Legal Optimism.
Liberal optimism or Limitless Optimism?
liquid optimism or lived optimism?
Lively optimism!
(See A Sense of Lively Optimism Permeates Lisa Congdon’s Work)
Long-now optimism and long-term optimism.
Macro optimism, magnetic optimism, mature optimism, maverick optimism, measured optimism, metaphysical optimism, militant optimism, and modern optimism.
Modest Optimism
(See Alaska's modest optimism)
Motivational optimism
Natural optimism?
Nauseous Optimism? "hoping for the best but knowing in the pit of your stomach that the road ahead will be difficult", wrote Robert Reich.
Nervous optimism, net-zero optimism, neutral optimism, never-ending optimism and never-say-die optimism?
Oblivious Optimism? Operational Optimism?
Organic optimism?
Paranoid Optimism? (That's a weird one)
Pathological optimism, Patient Optimism or Perennial Optimism?
Permeating Optimism or Persistent Optimism?
Pessimistic Optimism? (A strange one)
Playful optimism.
Positive Optimism?
Practical Optimism?
Profound Optimism?
Protective Optimism?
(Read John Dobell, who says, "Protective optimism is a temporally stable trait that acts as a tool for better mental and physical health and can help us all achieve positive outcomes even when faced with seemingly impossible odds."
Pure optimism,
Practical optimism, pragmatic optimism, progressive optimism and purposeful optimism.
Radical optimism
Reflective Optimism or Reformist's optimism?
Refreshing Optimism?
Relative optimism, relentless optimism, renewed optimism?
Reserved Optimism (save me!)?
Resistant Optimism? Restless optimism?
Ridiculous optimism, romantic optimism, revolutionary optimism, resilient optimism, resolute optimism, rigorous optimism or resolute optimism?
Restrained optimism?
Romantic Optimism
Rowdy optimism
Silvery optimism, scrupulous optimism, serene optimism and sheer optimism.
Sincere Optimism?
Smart optimism? Social Optimism?
Sparkling Optimism?
Spiritual Optimism?
Stirring optimism or stoic optimism?
Strategic optimism or stubborn optimism?
Sunny optimism or super optimism?
Tactical optimism, techno-optimism, tempered optimism, tenacious optimism.
Tepid Optimism (not a superpower) or Terminal Optimism?
Tough-minded optimism?
Tragic Optimism (Viktor Frankl's “what matters is to make the best in any given situation")
Tremendous optimism or True Optimism.
Unabashed optimism or unapologetic optimism.
Unbending optimism, unbreakable optimism or Unbridled Optimism?
Unfailing optimism or unflagging optimism?
Unquenchable optimism, unreasonable optimism, unrelenting optimism, unreserved optimism, unrivalled optimism, unshakeable optimism, unsinkable optimism, unswerving optimism, untiring optimism or unwavering optimism?
Urgent Optimism
(Read Prince William on his Urgent Optimism and Urgent Optimism: Your Superpower for the 2020s?)
Vibrational Optimism.
Veiled optimism, vicarious optimism, visionary optimism.
Walt Disney Level Optimism.
Wary Optimism
(Read Sam Hurwitt on Lynn Nottage's Clyde's Optimism)
Weaponised optimism?
Well-informed, calm, non-provocative optimism? (Tobias Wahlqvist in "Pessimism is a kind of religion")
Wild optimism, Wilful Optimism or Willed Optimism?
Youthful Optimism.
Zealous optimism OR Zesty Optimism!
Read more of these inspiring quotable quotes in "Optimism: The How and Why" by Victor Perton, CEO of The Centre for Optimism.