Hard Optimism

Hard Optimism is based on studies from the field of positive psychology. Some of these ideas and approaches may surprise you. They're all grounded in research, and organized so you can easily put them to work on the job and in other parts of your life.

Explanatory Optimism about the Hard Problem of Consciousness argues that despite the worries of explanatory pessimists, consciousness can be fully explained in “easy” scientific terms. The widespread intuition that consciousness poses a hard problem is plausibly based on how consciousness appears to us in first-person access. The book offers a debunking argument to undercut the justificatory link between the first-person appearances and our hard problem intuitions. The key step in the debunking argument involves the development and defense of an empirical model of first-person access: Automated Compression Theory (ACT). ACT holds that first-person access to consciousness is accomplished by automated accessing of compressed sensory information. Because of the distorting nature of this compressed access, it seems to subjects that consciousness possesses “exceptional” properties—properties leading to the hard problem—even though no such properties are present. If there are no exceptional properties to explain, then an explanation in easy terms can fully account for conscious experience. The book presents a range of empirical evidence for ACT and concludes that the burden of proof is now on the pessimists to show why we shouldn’t be optimistic about explaining consciousness.

Price Pritchett, one of the world's most renowned thought leaders on corporate culture and organizational change, presents a groundbreaking program for developing the positive mental practices that will not only improve your performance on the job, but enhance the quality of every part of your life. Drawing upon research from the influential field of positive psychology, Pritchett shows you how to adopt hard optimism-a forward-thinking mindset that incorporates resilience, energy, innovation, and hope into the way you approach every task. Hard Optimism gives you 12 powerful, proven practices for reducing negative thinking and adopting the attitude of a winner-the keys to seizing opportunity, overcoming obstacles, and wielding a positive influence on the people around you. With the action steps outlined in Hard Optimism, you'll discover how to: Recognize and dispute pessimistic thoughts Gain an edge by adopting an optimistic style to interpret events, both good and bad Use positive reappraisal to handle problems and disappointments Know how and when to use negative thinking to your advantage Play to your signature strengths Practice gratitude and forgiveness to fight off negativity By taking a hard look at reality rather than sugarcoating it, by managing your thought processes to improve hard results, you'll master hard optimism and meet the challenges in every area of your career and life.

For more than 30 years, the author has shaped management perspectives around the globe. This work offers the comprehensive overview of his methodology, examining how the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of an organization and its people determine both day-to-day performance and future growth.

Hard Optimism is based on studies from the field of positive psychology. Some of these ideas and approaches may surprise you. They're all grounded in research, and organized so you can easily put them to work on the job and in other parts of your life.

For more than 30 years, Price Pritchett has shaped management perspectives around the globe. Hard Optimism is the most in-depth, comprehensive overview of his methodology, examining how the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of an organization and its people determine both day-to-day performance and future growth. Pritchett gives you a disciplined way to think, act, and support a culture that promotes the ability to seize opportunities, rather than seeing only obstacles.Hard Optimism offers 12 practices to develop this discipline and strengthen any company against its competition; generate better relationships with suppliers, customers, and partners; and create a high-performing organization.

One of the volumes of the popular Protestant Pulpit Exchange series, this volume focuses on the ways in which preachers can make use of Biblical passages to help listeners deal with hard times in their lives. This universal issue is addressed in compassionate and helpful ways in this collection of sermons.

A sense of optimism is a key ingredient to success in life. Guide young children to develop a positive outlook and discover how the choices they make can lead to feeling happy and capable. This friendly, encouraging book introduces preschool and primary-age children to ways of thinking and acting that will help them feel good about themselves and their lives, stay on course when things don’t go their way, and contribute to other people’s happiness, too. Being the Best Me Series: From the author of the popular Learning to Get Along® books come the first two books in this one-of-a-kind character-development series. Each book focuses on specific attitude or character traits—such as optimism, courage, resilience, imagination, personal power, decision-making, and work ethics. Also included are discussion questions, games, activities, and additional information adults can use to reinforce the concepts children are learning. Filled with diversity, these read-aloud books will be welcome in school, home, and childcare settings.