Realistic Optimism — Blog — Courage to Caregivers

SEPTEMBER 2023 Newsletter: Tools to Cultivate Tenacity

Tenacity is your ability to stick with it when things get hard. Caregivers are no strangers to HARD things. The challenges come at us daily. Sometimes they knock us down - and sometimes we're ready.

Having tenacity doesn't mean that we'll never FALL. AND, it's not about how long we're DOWN when we do. Tenacity is all about the getting UP. Getting up requires STRENGTH of all kinds - physical, mental and emotional. When we fall down - and we all know we will fall again - we need to start by pausing. Notice. Take the time and space you need to rest and recover. You'll need your strength to both get up and be ready for the next time. It can be cold and lonely when we fall - yet, Courage to Caregivers is here to support you as you STRENGTHEN your tenacity muscles.

When our kids were little (they're not so little any more at 28-30-32), I took part in a book group at school where we read "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Timeless Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children" by Wendy Mogel. As we dug into TENACITY this month (a concept I also learned when my kids were in elementary school) - the teaching from "Blessing of a Skinned Knee" on coping with frustration was likely the most relevant. "Treating children's daily distresses as an expected and unalarming part of life is an effective way to discourage them from turning small difficulties into big dramas. We can help children become calmer and more resilient by staying calm ourselves." ~ Wendy Mogel, "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee."

It takes a great deal of tenacity to navigate life's challenges AND as caregivers, supporting our loved ones in cultivating their tenacity, too. 💙

Check out entire September newsletter focused on Tenacity here.

TenacityKristi HornerSeptember 28, 2023Realistic Optimism, Tenacity, Coping mechanisms, Persistence

Half of the Glass Is Empty, and Half of It Is Full

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."

~ William A. Ward

Do you think of yourself as an optimist or a pessimist, or something in between? This week’s topic is all about that space in between – a concept called realistic optimism – which we believe is a more positive and productive space to be in, rather than pure optimism or pure pessimism.

While optimism is an attitude that focuses solely on hope and confidence that everything will turn out for the best, and pessimism focuses on just the things that could go wrong, a realistic optimist is someone who recognizes the negative aspects of life but who also does not become consumed by that negativity. An attitude of realistic optimism allows for a growth mindset, and problems become challenges to overcome, not roadblocks.

TenacityKristi HornerSeptember 14, 2023Realistic Optimism, Optimism

Realistic Optimism Is Strategic Optimism

“Optimism is not a denial of the current state. It’s a belief that the future is bright,

but it accepts current darkness.” – Simon Sinek

As we focus on attitudes this month, we need to be aware that the way we view problems and achieve growth is strongly impacted by the way we look at the world. This week’s theme – realistic optimism – is one way we can look at the challenges of the present and the potential of the future to help us solve our personal problems, learn from our mistakes, and build on our opportunities for growth. In other words, it allows us to be resilient.

AttitudeKristi HornerSeptember 15, 2022Realistic Optimism, Optimism

Persistence + Realistic Optimism + Coping Mechanisms = Attitude of Tenacity - September 2021 Newsletter

September Theme: Attitude

Persistence + Realistic Optimism + Coping Mechanisms = Attitude of Tenacity

With September's theme of "attitude" we started our exploration of the domain of resilience of TENACITY. Tenacity is your ability to stick with it when things get hard. Caregivers are no strangers to HARD things. The challenges come at us daily. Sometimes they knock us down - and sometimes we're ready.

Having tenacity doesn't mean that we'll never FALL. AND, it's not about how long we're DOWN when we do. Tenacity is all about the getting UP. Getting up requires STRENGTH of all kinds - physical, mental and emotional. When we fall down - and we all know we will fall again - start by pausing. Notice. Take the time and space you need to rest and recover. You'll need your strength to both get up and be ready for the next time. It can be cold and lonely when we fall - yet, we're here to support you as you STRENGTHEN your tenacity muscles 💙

Check out the September Newsletter!

AttitudeKristi HornerSeptember 30, 2021Coping mechanisms, Realistic Optimism, Persistence, Tenacity

Getting Real

When we have an attitude of realistic optimism, it helps us develop a growth mindset by looking at problems as challenges that we can overcome, not roadblocks that prevent us from meeting our goals. This enables us to realistically evaluate the situation, productively explore the solutions that are available to us, and rationally accept the outcome even if it doesn’t fully meet our expectations.

AttitudeKristi HornerSeptember 16, 2021Optimism, Realistic Optimism, Positivity