Meet Pollyanna’s kick-ass cousin

I used to think optimists were out of touch with reality. Wide-eyed Pollyannas who refused to see that tough challenges lie in wait for all of us, ready to pounce like meaty-pawed tigers. But then I started writing for business journals. After a few months of interviewing successful entrepreneurs and CEOs I detected a pattern.

They were all optimists. This punched a big hole in my Pollyanna theory.

Slowly I discovered that true optimism – the powerful stuff that fuels leaders and visionaries - isn’t rooted in blithely ignoring reality. It’s rooted in confidence - knowing that you can handle whatever’s waiting around the corner. Confidence developed by facing down fears, taking risks, dealing with the consequences and seeing that not only can you survive the mauling, but you can emerge stronger and smarter.

Courage cultivates confidence. Confidence is the key to optimism. Optimism provides the stamina to do great things.

So I kicked Pollyanna to the curb and started hanging with Phoena. Phoena acknowledges fear, respects it even. But she doesn’t let it control her. Phoena doesn’t bury her head in the sand, she faces challenges head-on. Arming herself with whatever she can, she hopes to best the tiger. But she’s sure she can handle a defeat too.

I see Phoena in brave brand builders who dare to defy convention to create something memorable. Phoena is there when my clients release their death grip on their hard-earned dollars and trust me to help market them. And Phoena stands at the sides of social media champions everywhere.

I’m serious. Bravery isn’t reserved for firefighters and stand-up comedians.

Imagine the new guy on the team meeting with his bottom-line-minded, 59-year-old boss, stammering “The ROI for social media? Well…it’s complicated.” You think that doesn’t take courage? The new media culture is teeming with Phoenas. The ones with muscle are die-hard optimists, but they’re no wimpy Pollyannas – they do their homework.

They spend their lunchbreaks reading and commenting on blogs. They work twitter like the networking powerhouse it is, to understand social media and learn from and build relationships with those who have spent years immersed in it. At 11 p.m., when their buddies are on their third hour of Halo, they’re knocking another online tool off their “get to know” list.

They don’t advocate social media because they ignore the pitfalls and obstacles. They do it because they believe in it. Do the work it takes to be Phoena.

And go kick some ass.

Photo credit: Jeff Eppstein via Flickr