I would like to begin our conversation by asking some fundamentally important questions: What does optimism mean? What does a life that satisfies us mean? (So ​​that from reading there remains not only an emotional trace, but also a “dry residue” in the form of some kind of change, allow yourself to at least formulate in general terms the answers to the questions posed). As you will understand later, these issues are closely related. So, OPTIMISM (from the Latin optimus - the best) is, in contrast to pessimism, a perception of life or a mood that notes their best sides in things and phenomena and generally hopes for a favorable outcome, believing in continuous progress. Optimism of a religious-metaphysical order is the conviction that our world is as it is under existing circumstances, that it is the best of all possible worlds, that everything that is real is rational, subordinate to reason. The direct opposition to optimism is pessimism. And, in general, without one the other would not exist. So it makes sense to pay attention to both dueling extremes. This is how the famous pessimist Schopenhauer reasoned: he considered optimism a “vile” way of thinking. His “brother” in pessimism, E. Hartmann, thought more moderately. Inactive optimism, he noted, leads to quietism (QUIETISM (from the Latin quies - peace) - behavior far from life; complete detachment, calm, passive behavior devoid of affects, weak-willed and non-resistant submission to the divine will. Franz Zales expresses the essence of quietism in the following words : “do not strive for anything, do not reject anything” (“ni desirer, ni refuser”)), and optimism associated with action is activity. Nietzsche, despite the tragic nature of his philosophy, demanded such an affirmation of life and being that would remain this-worldly in relation to both optimism and pessimism. People of the “winning” type (according to Berne), who implement the corresponding scenario, are distinguished by optimism - self-confidence and the opportunity to be happy in life. Their optimism gives them energy, encourages them to be active, take action, be creative, and have meaningful contacts with other people. If you think about the question of what type of people other people are drawn to, with whom they willingly date - gloomy pessimists or cheerful, open ones, capable of enjoying themselves and pleasing others - then you will probably say that dating the latter is much more pleasant. So, right?! Someone will say that between pessimists and optimists there is a fairly large mass of people who, not without reason, can be called realists. Those. inclined to see the world without embellishment, as it is. But here’s the problem: answering the question of what kind of world this world is is quite difficult, since the answer, whatever one may say, depends on the point of view of the one who is looking, with what eyes he looks, what he is experiencing at this moment, what colors were embedded in his childish palette of attitudes to life. In my opinion, optimism has a very real basis and no less real content. The basis is formed by: self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-respect, the ability to enjoy life, a certain habit formed in childhood, to see mostly good things around, to believe in one’s strengths and much more. In the form of a model, the position of an optimist is reflected by the formula “I am good, the world is good.” Pessimists, of course, have different models: for example, “I am bad, the world is bad,” or “I am bad, the world is good” (a partial version of pessimism). The main component of optimism, in my opinion, is the ability to translate problems encountered along the path of life into tasks. But problems can be solved, it is only important to choose the appropriate methods and methods. And now it's time to talk about the skill. And a skill, as we know, is first formed, then developed and even honed to perfection. As you have already seen from your life experience, the choice - to rejoice, act, be happy or fixate on troubles - is made by a person himself. Much depends on himthe ability to do good depends on his mood, on the focus of his attention. The following exercise is aimed at developing the ability to have a positive attitude towards the events of your life. It is like a kind of inoculation of optimism, on the one hand, and permission to think in a positive way, on the other. Exercise “REWRITTEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY” (for the training group) Exercise: performed in pairs – 50 min. Instructions Introductory part. “With the exception of rare extreme cases, the biography of each person includes both difficulties and misfortunes, as well as good luck, joy and victories. Not everyone manages to trace their connections and influences, build bridges connecting them, and learn lessons for the benefit of today and the future. In fact In fact, old dramas, unprocessed crises are like smoldering fires that can flare up at any moment and flare up with renewed vigor. Unhappy are those who hide their illnesses under the guise of their person, traditions in the family “that’s how it is,” outdated cultural patterns, money, money. prestige in society. They belong to the realm of psychiatry. The first part is self-presentation. Our task now will be to remember the three most dramatic, unpleasant events in life and arrange them in order of importance, starting with the most difficult. Then name them. , naturally, is carried out at will. The second part: describe negative events in a positive way, that is, talk about the positive lessons that you learned from what happened, about the experience that influenced the quality of life. In addition, you can reformulate them as rules for the future, as tasks that you set for yourself. This will, in essence, train our optimism and self-confidence. Comments: Participants may slip into descriptions of unpleasant events or feelings associated with them. The presenter carefully follows everyone’s story and helps, if necessary, to concentrate on the positive that is in each moment of the biography. He may also turn to the group for help in this. What can you say about the hierarchy of dramatic events you have built? Will your position in this regard always be unshakable? Or perhaps some adjustments will be made with age and experience? What lines of relationships can you draw between these events? Are they complete for you in your soul? What if we try to be daring, to give our values ​​a new meaning - opposite to the established one, which partly determined our failures in the past?! This phenomenon is called inversion. Instructions Third part: biography project - in the general circle. Now that we have put things in order in our past, we will try to fantasize and look into our positive future. We will be completely free in our fantasies and will each compose a biography for ourselves for the next 5-10 years, including in it all our dreams and plans, as well as events and circumstances that will surely bring you pleasure and joy. Let's give up predictability. Please describe these feelings in as much detail as possible, using sensations from different modalities. Group members take turns telling prepared biographies. Participants are invited to supplement these biographies with new positive events in their lives. Discussion “What did you think was the most pleasant in the biographies we heard? What moment would be the happiest for you personally?” Comments The presenter carefully follows everyone’s story and helps, if necessary, not to be distracted to assess the reality of the events described, their achievability, etc., and concentrate on the positive that is in every moment of the biography. During discussions, the question often arises of how objective optimism is, whether an optimistic style of thinking is a distortion of reality. The coach in this case can say that optimism certainly means an erroneous perception of reality, focused on its positive aspects. Optimists overestimate their chances of success and underestimate the significance of failure. However, experience shows that their overly rosy expectations have!