This morning my kids’ school sent an email about cultivating optimism in children. It included a short excerpt drawing on Dr. Martin Seligman’s research on positive psychology (lightly edited, attribution removed for privacy :)):
“…when we believe our actions do not affect outcomes, we become passive and lose hope. Subjects who did not feel helpless in the face of challenging circumstances viewed difficult moments as temporary, did not blame themselves for mistakes, and believed they had agency over their circumstances. To cultivate true agency, and ultimately optimism, kids must experience the direct connection between their choices and the outcomes that follow.”
In short, optimism is a learned belief that your choices affect outcomes. It’s a trait we spot early in high-potential founders. It isn’t blind optimism, burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best. It’s a belief, backed by evidence, that you can take on hard problems and work through them to good outcomes. Doing that consistently, over time, is where meaningful change comes from: in technology, in startups, and in life.