‘Optimism sounds like a sales pitch. Pessimism sounds like someone trying to help you.’*

This line made me smile. Because I’m reasonably (to ultra) optimistic when I work with clients; otherwise what’s the point of taking them on? The whole premise is to operate with a sense of possibility.

But when it comes to communicating all this optimism beyond the confines of my sessions – even if constructive – it just ends up feeling silly, ‘sales-y’, cringy, etc. It often feels like I’m overcommitting or exaggerating. 

This is despite having experienced and seen massive transformations as a result of a) being coached myself and b) witnessing the transformations of the clients I got the privilege to work with. Coaching is not a panacea, but truth be told: if done well with the right person, it’s a (f**) game changer.

‘Pessimism isn’t just more common than optimism. It also sounds smarter’, the author persisted. There you have it.

Allow me to throw some shade: If pessimists were smarter than the rest of us, Parisians would be churning out PhD degrees and Nobel prizes like there is no tomorrow…