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How to Hear Nos and Also Be Optimistic    by Andrea Waltz
I saw something on Twitter that stopped me for a second. (X. Whatever.) Someone said the most successful people they know all share an almost irrational belief that things will work out. They called it: Pronoia. It’s the opposite of paranoia. Instead of believing the world is out to get you, pronoia is the belief that the world is secretly conspiring in your
favor. (See the NOtivational quote below!) At first glance, that can sound naive or fluffy. Only works if life is already going your way. It made me think because I sometimes worry our message comes across as
negative, not optimistic. Can you go for no and be optimistic? Of course!  There’s a saying floating around that sums it up perfectly: pessimists sound smart. Optimists make money. Pessimism protects your ego. Optimism is behavioral courage which is what it means to go for no. Pronoia doesn’t mean you avoid rejection or you sit back and wait for yeses to fall into your lap. If you believe things will ultimately work out, you never take rejection as final. Rejection is redirection! Optimists still hear no. They just don't stop there.
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