“Pray, wait, trust.”

So, let’s start with the basics: What is the meaning of confidence and optimism?

Ok, at this point one would expect some kind of magic formula, or at least three or four simple rules to follow in order to redirect one’s behavior and life… unfortunately it is not that simple, but don’t worry! To begin with, let’s start from the basics and therefore from the meaning of these two words so often used and abused: optimism and confidence.

Optimism is what encourages us to choose and consider the best sides of reality, or to expect a favorable development of events and situations.

Trust, on the other hand, is an attitude (toward ourselves or others) that stems from a positive evaluation of reality or facts and from which we trust in our own possibilities or those of others.

Now that we have focused on what we are talking about, together we will try to understand how we can learn to master these concepts or, perhaps more appropriately, how we can develop and train our inner optimism and confidence… yes, there is a little bit of optimism and confidence in all of us, even when we don’t see it 😉

Confidence and optimism are within us, what we need to do is turn them on

Trust generally produces a feeling of security and tranquility and feeds optimism, which in turn generates confidence: the most classic of virtuous circles, but how to set it in motion?

I believe the first step is to look at ourselves and try to define ourselves (or redefine ourselves) starting from our uniqueness: each of us is in fact, in his or her own way and with his or her own characteristics, unique and precious. So let’s start here, looking at ourselves with honesty and trying to leave aside judgments, fears, preconceptions and conditioning. Yes, we have limits (like everyone!) but we also have qualities and peculiarities that have made us who we are today. And it is precisely in these qualities that we must place our trust.

Here is the door to enter the virtuous cycle.

It may seem trivial but I assure you that if you do this simple (but at the same time very complicated) thing with honesty and seriousness, you may be surprised by the results and find something within you to trust!

From concept to tool: why confidence and optimism are essential tools in the business world

By making confidence and optimism two daily tools in our work, is essential to achieve satisfactory results or even just to achieve all those big and small goals that make us happy and fulfilled.

Optimism helps you gain and maintain leadership, overcome adversity, and generally grow and evolve.

Think about it, optimism is about looking forward to solving problems even in situations where it would be easy to surrender, to quit. When we can keep an optimistic attitude alive, we are more responsive, more inclined to solve, and also more “open” to solutions and strategies that we would otherwise risk missing.

Confidence, on the other hand (in addition to encouraging optimism, as mentioned above), is a valuable tool for some of the fundamental scenarios in the working world:

• Comparison
• Delegation
• Cooperation
• Being a leader (of our project or our team)

If we are not able to practice trust, we are inevitably destined to be deficient when not totally inadequate in dealing with customers or employees; in delegating certain phases of our work in a functional manner; in building internal or external partnerships… in short, in exercising and maintaining healthy and productive leadership.

At this point it should be a little clearer to you why I care about these two concepts, as I have already said I am aware of the fact that too often trust and optimism are two abused words, that almost get emptied of meaning because of how and how much they are used and quoted but this does not mean they are not valuable.

In my life and experience they have been and still are two very valuable allies, and I really hope they can be for you too!