Joe Freeman

The Stressless Pessimist

In a society that is becoming more and more demanding, we are pulled in all directions. We are expected to satisfy a demanding boss, make a no fault party for friends, meet the expectations of our clients, and much more. It is becoming increasingly difficult to live a life free from the fear of not being good enough, the fear of an imminent exam, the fear of a department head’s evaluation, and, above all, the fear of taking on increasingly tough challenges. Of course, exercise strengthens our muscles, in the same manner, taking on more responsibility increases our ability to face them. But what about those who, at the eve of a dangerous deadline, panic and give up instead of taking responsibility? I know what that can be like because I’ve been there. Here, a technique called Pre-mortem can help! It is a concept developed by the psychologist Gary Klein. It involves projecting ourselves into the future, assuming that an event has already failed. We foresee the bad end, choosing the worst possible scenario. In that way, we play the game of a pessimist, so to say… but not for long! We then ask ourselves what caused the failure. This approach allows us to anticipate potential negative factors in order to avoid them.