Part of being an optimist means choosing to see the glass as half-full. But when it comes to mental health sometimes seeing the glass half-full is unrealistic.

It's unrealistic to see the future and know that our projects will be successful. As a result we need to hold optimism loosely. In fact our optimism is better coming from the belief that no matter what happens we will recognize, learn and be grateful for the journey. We can be both optimists and realists. 

Project management is not magic. Our roles are not to ensure that the project is successful. I know it's radical to think that's not our job but it isn't. Our job is to apply our skills and knowledge to successfully deliver the project. When circumstances beyond our control prevent us from doing that it doesn't necessarily make us bad project managers. It's about the journey. There are more failed projects in the world than successful ones and our failures are a better measure of our future successes if we leverage them. 

If your goal is to learn along the road to success, optimism is a simple choice. If you only measure your success by what stakeholders think of the project results, you may find yourself disappointed in the outcome. Don't be tempted to give your power away as a professional to stakeholders who believe you've been unsuccessful. Your success is yours to determine and to leverage for your future. Your self-awareness and your mental health is far more valuable than your stakeholders belief about you. That doesn't mean you don't care about the project outcome but don't forget to care about your project outcome. If you are mentally exhausted and pessimistic about the future you will never be successful. So, remember to be optimistic and recognize that your ability to learn and grow is your greatest asset. 

Next time you find yourself in the midst of a difficult situation on your project, remind yourself you only have to get you to the afternoon. And, once you’re there, you will have grown enough to get to the next afternoon and so on and so on. 

Be an optimist as your mental health depends on it,

a.k.a. The Feisty PM