Invictus Blog

Optimism and Integrity
Written by Invictus member Theo Bercot

I recently began a course called Optimal Living 101. It’s made up of 10 principles: Optimism, Purpose, Self-Awareness, Goals, Action, Energy, Wisdom, Courage, Love, and Entheos (which means God within). Basically it is about INTEGRITY — diligently, patiently, persistently and (very importantly!) playfully embodying what we say is important so it aligns with who we are.

Before delving into Optimism, I learned what it ISN’T – helplessness. A victim’s mentality of complaining, blaming and finding excuses is disempowering and gets us stuck. And unfortunately, social experiments have shown that helplessness is learned and contagious. Thus, one of the best ways to avoid this kind of helplessness is to surround yourself with positive, motivating people. Invictus is perfect for that!

Unlike victims, optimists strive to be creators and ask “what do I want?”. And the good news is, we can learn optimism! Like our muscles, we can train our minds. It starts with recognizing that 80% of our thoughts are automatic, and many of those are negative thoughts telling us “I can’t do that.” Once you recognize those thoughts, try substituting those for positive ones. Mantras are great for this. Some good mantras are: “I fearlessly approach any and all challenges”; “I can do anything I put my mind to”; and a great one, “Thank you thank you thank you!”

How we view positive and negative events can be summed up by the 3 “P’s”: Permanence, Pervasiveness and Personalization. Optimists view positive events with these 3 P’s; Pessimists view negative events this way. Did you get a PR today? Way to go! That is Permanent, and from now on you can reach that record. It is Pervasive and will help your body achieve other PRs. And it is Personal; your hard work paid off!

Finally, optimism is our Response-Ability. That is, we have the ability or choice in how we respond to situations. Remember that the victim mentality gets us stuck. If we have a setback, it is NOT Permanent, Pervasive or Personal. We can choose to be proactive and create a new possibility.

The best way to begin on this journey is with small steps. Identify today the #1 thing that will make the greatest impact in your life if you begin doing it. I offer the suggestion of meditation, 5 minutes a day. For others that might be coming into the gym just one more day each week. Next, find the #1 thing that if you STOP doing, will make the greatest impact in your life, and stop doing that. Perhaps cut out processed foods or caffeine. Just like our fitness, our optimal life comes by focusing on our strengths, and slowly and persistently training our mind for empowerment.

(Editor’s Note – I LOVE getting entries from the members of our community. We have such an outstanding collection of minds, perspectives and backgrounds that it’s always a pleasure to hear from our members about things they have successfully employed in their lives to improve their health and/or happiness. If you have a topic that you would like to write about, please send it in. I would love to hear from you!)