Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Optimism


In general, optimists tend to overestimate the good and underestimate the bad. This is known as optimism bias. At Zhang Sah we pride ourselves on cultivating optimism. Some may say that's a bad thing to teach people to overestimate their reality. Some say that a happy life is derived by keeping low expectations and enjoying those rare occurrences when reality is better than what you expected. I couldn't disagree more with that philosophy. Although, I agree that it is difficult to teach people how to appreciate failure and losing. But just because it's easier to live with low expectations doesn't mean that's more fulfilling.

My teaching philosophy is to continually raise expectations which leads one towards success. In some instances this success is unattainable but the heights that it takes you in the process is really what is truly fulfilling. At Zhang Sah there is no destination for success. It is not earning your black belt. It is not winning a competition. It is not about earning a scholarship for college. It is not about graduating. It's not about earning a certain amount of money. It's about being equipped to enjoy the journey of life. It's about expecting yourself to progress along this path. Besides, within the anticipation of success lies happiness.

Many question how can we cultivate people to become optimistic. And how can we do this in the face of so many negative realities. How is optimism maintained over time? The answer is simple-Confidence!

Through rigorous training students develop confidence. This is enabled by positive role models who demonstrate care and enthusiasm for their progress. Confidence percolates from the competencies and trustworthiness in the students capacity to perform and practice with others. The optimistic outlook flows from here.

" Train hard-be happy!" 

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