Personal Practice
How You See
Radical optimism isn't naive - it's a strategic advantage.
What could go right?
“With deep insight and experience, Frederik shows how the future can be shaped by opportunity and optimism instead of fear.”Tim BrownChairman of IDEO, Bestselling Author
Understand · Apply · Deepen
Three Lenses
From threat to opportunity
From "What could go wrong?" → To "What could go right?"
Optimism isn't about ignoring problems. It's about training your brain to scan for possibilities first. When you change the question, you change what you're capable of seeing - and creating.
The 'And' experiment
Replace every 'but' with 'and' for one day.
"I want to try this, but it might fail" becomes "I want to try this, and it might fail." Notice how 'and' opens doors that 'but' closes. One word changes the trajectory of an entire conversation.
Replace every 'but' with 'and' for one day.
Learned optimism predicts success
University of Pennsylvania - Martin Seligman's research
Seligman's research demonstrates that learned optimism - a trainable skill, not a personality trait - is a key predictor of career success, health outcomes, and resilience, alongside talent and motivation. In one study, optimistic salespeople outsold pessimists by 31%.View source research
University of Pennsylvania - Martin Seligman's research
From threat to opportunity
The Mindstate Shift
From "What could go wrong?" → To "What could go right?"
Optimism isn't about ignoring problems. It's about training your brain to scan for possibilities first. When you change the question, you change what you're capable of seeing - and creating.
The 'And' experiment
Try This Today
Try This Today
Replace every 'but' with 'and' for one day.
"I want to try this, but it might fail" becomes "I want to try this, and it might fail." Notice how 'and' opens doors that 'but' closes. One word changes the trajectory of an entire conversation.
Learned optimism predicts success
The Research
The Research
University of Pennsylvania - Martin Seligman's research
Seligman's research demonstrates that learned optimism - a trainable skill, not a personality trait - is a key predictor of career success, health outcomes, and resilience, alongside talent and motivation. In one study, optimistic salespeople outsold pessimists by 31%.
From the Practice
Frederik's NEXTletter
Stories, experiments, and perspectives to deepen this practice.
“My daughter looked at me with sleep-blurred eyes and said, ‘It’s raining, daddy.’ I looked out the window. She was right. ‘Even better,’ I said. ‘We get to find out what makes a rainy day beautiful.’”
There Is No Such Thing as an Average Day
Read in NEXTletter“For seven days, avoid all content that claims to know what will happen next. Every time you feel the urge to look for a prediction, ask instead: One thing I am curious about today. One small experiment I could run this week. One conversation I could initiate with someone who sees the world differently.”
The #1 Dangerous Habit That Silently Destroys Your Future Potential
Read in NEXTletter“When they stop trying to predict the future and instead learn how to feel it – they reconnect with their agency. They stop waiting. They start shaping.”
What If the Fear You Carry Isn’t About the Future?
Read in NEXTletterListen and Watch
Go Deeper
The Art of Starting Before You're Ready with Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden
Why waiting for the right moment is the enemy of progress - and how to build the muscle of moving through uncertainty.
More Episodes
Keep Exploring
Other Topics
Practice All Six Strengths
Six strengths. One deepening practice. Begin with Frederik's online course.