Pascal’s Wager is a famous argument using logic to prove one should have a belief in God. Here is my somewhat similar, not quite as scientific, argument in favor of optimism:
- You can either be pessimistic while you do things, which will make you more likely to see unhappiness, which will make you unhappier.
- Or you can be optimistic while you do things, which will make you more likely to see happiness, which will make you happier.
It seems like a pretty clear choice to me… 😉
You can own this print here.
“Wall of Optimism”
at Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command
Captain Sean Heritage currently serves as the Commanding Officer of Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command in Suffolk, VA, where he leads with “a distributed team of cyber defenders; integrated through understanding, synchronized in action”. He also writes of leadership on his “Connecting the Dots” blog.
Left to right: Sandy Fariello, Jeremy Urquhart, Capt. Sean Heritage, Karen Meeker, Sharon Sparks
I have long been a fan of Hugh’s art and bring his message to duty station after duty station.
Six months after joining the Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command (NCDOC) Team the art has become a central piece of our command culture. My personal collection has outgrown my office and now inspires all who pass what has been named our “Wall of Optimism”. At each of our bi-weekly Command Quarters (e.g., town hall assembly) we acknowledge a member of our team who has gone out of their way to bring our Command Values to life with a “Make a Dent” acrylic award. In an effort to ensure everyone gets their own piece of Gapingvoid flair, each member of the team receives a birthday card from me adorned by a graphic of my choosing.
Seeing this type of art so visibly in a military command makes some people a little uncomfortable, but as my favorite piece on the “Wall of Optimism” reminds us, we need to “get comfortable being uncomfortable”
Stay Inspired,
Sean
