(This is a list of behaviors observed in people who possess this competence)

• They are positive and offer solutions when talking to the people around them.

• They trust their abilities and skills.

• They are confident that things they aren’t responsible for or can’t control will turn out well.

• They are convinced that things will work out if the appropriate means are put in place.

• They focus on studying hard and learning as much as possible, because they believe that effort will result in success.

• They are motivated to work hard, study and learn.

• When they don’t understand something, they don’t feel less intelligent. And when they do something well, they don’t think they’re the best.

• They see the positive side of things, without being discouraged by setbacks.

• They inject enthusiasm into everything they do.

• They rejoice in the successes of others.

• They have an upbeat, happy demeanor with their peers.

• They recover from personal and professional setbacks with a sporting spirit.

• They learn from the mistakes that make them fail, but they don’t obsess over them or let them influence their mood.

• If something they can control doesn’t go well, they look ahead and leave mistakes in the past.

• In difficult situations, they don’t lose hope of finding a solution, nor are they easily overwhelmed by such situations.

• They value the positive side of everything that happens to them; they are convinced that every cloud has a silver lining.

Behaviors in the assessment questionnaire

• They see the positive side of things.

• They don’t become demoralized when there are setbacks.

• They recover from personal and professional setbacks with a sporting spirit.

• They inject enthusiasm into everything they do.

(This is a list of negative behaviors observed in people who do not possess this competence to a sufficient extent)

• They have a negative view of themselves; they don’t see themselves as talented or skilled.

• They are insecure when making decisions.

• They don’t offer solutions.

• They don’t set challenges or objectives such as participating in activities and volunteer projects because they don’t think they are capable of carrying them out successfully.

• They think that objectives are unattainable.

• They become overwhelmed when there are major new challenges; they appear dispirited when tackling them.

• They take a long time to get over a mistake or failure and they think about them every time a similar topic comes up.

• They focus on the negative side of things.

• Faced with a new situation, their first reaction is skepticism.

• They sulk and become discouraged by failures.

• They only see the problems in a task, not the benefits it could bring. They tend to overestimate mistakes and undervalue successes.

• They frequently give up when faced with obstacles that prevent them from improving their environment.

• They become pessimistic at the first sign of difficulties.

• They always see problems in their surroundings.

• They constantly make negative comments.

• They miss what they have left behind (high school, friends who have gone away to study, etc.) and leave no room for new opportunities.

• They don’t value what is important and are kept awake by things that are not important but that have a negative impact on them.

(Suggestions for questions that mentors can ask students to reflect on and, therefore, propose ways they think they can improve)

• Do you enjoy overcoming challenges that require effort?

• Do you believe in your ability to solve problems?

• Do you lose heart or can you snap out of a mood easily?

• Why do you sometimes become discouraged so easily? What does it achieve?

• Can you find something positive in each situation?

• Do you attach more importance to the negatives than the positives?

• Do you blame yourself when something goes wrong? Do you learn life lessons from bad experiences or do you only focus on the failure?

• When something doesn’t go your way, do you analyze the situation from a positive point of view?

• How can you help convey a more positive view of things to the people around you?

• Do you take time to be grateful for the good things in life?

• When you think of the future, do you think about the opportunities for success and the steps required to achieve that success, or do you focus on the risks and dangers along the way?

• What’s good about what you’re doing? Why do you do it? Is it worthwhile?

• When faced with a challenge, do you react by jumping in at the deep end or do you stop to think about the pros and cons?

• Are you aware of your successes so far and do you know how to evaluate them?

• People cope better with difficult situations if they have overcome easier ones.

• Thus, make a short list of things you struggle with every day to build up your self-confidence. Getting out of bed on time, exercising on certain days of the week or giving up snacks between meals; they’re all small battles that will make you a more confident person.

• Give yourself small rewards as you achieve the milestones in your objectives, such as a double session of your favorite TV series. Discuss your objectives with another person so that he or she can help you monitor your progress.

• Being optimistic always makes us enjoy what we’re doing more. If we’re thinking about other things, we evade reality. Our regular activities can be divided into two types: ones we do out of duty and ones we do purely for ourselves.

• Obviously, the first to include in our day-to-day lives are non-compulsory activities we do for ourselves and those around us; activities that bring us satisfaction and allow us to take a break from compulsory activities. A simple example would be doing a crossword every time you get home from the university. It will help you relax and feel happier.

• The second part is to start thinking of compulsory activities (studying, going to classes, housework) as a free choice. Ask yourself what benefits you get from these activities, and keep the answer in mind as you tackle them.

• For perfectionists, who want everything to turn out according to plan, a positive outlook can be very difficult to achieve, since they are constantly analyzing their results against unattainable measurements.

• When people are addicted to something, they often don’t realize it. This negatively affects their approach. You can be addicted to many things: your mobile phone, work, shopping, food, criticizing instead of building, etc. You need to carry out a thorough self-examination process to determine whether or not you are addicted to something and then take steps to free yourself.

• People who don’t take risks can succumb to dark thoughts, where nothing is possible. To get out of your comfort zone, you need to really put your mind to it and take at least one “healthy risk” a day.

• Don’t make excuses not to do things or to reject plans suggested by others because they involve change.

• Sometimes, if we’re in a dark place, it’s not the best idea to read a tragedy. Think of films and books that lift your spirits, whether it’s because they make you laugh or they make you feel part of something when you need it.

• You can do the same with the people around you. If you place your trust in each other, a friendly chat with them will help improve situations when it seems like there’s no solution. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

• Seek to generate positive attitudes in new friends; like joy, optimism is contagious and will make you more optimistic and spread optimism to others. Being surrounded by good company will stop you from turning to negative thoughts.

• It’s completely normal for a person to experience different emotions throughout the day and in life. You might be cheerful one moment and more downcast the next. The problem occurs when you allow yourself to be engulfed by emotions, which leads to a loop of thoughts. So, for example, you feel sad because you are sad.

• To break the loop, it’s important to distance yourself from those emotions and acknowledge them without letting them control you. A good approach is to think to yourself, “I’ve just noticed I’m feeling... (irritable, angry, envious, etc.),” which allows you to create distance and stop your feelings from controlling you.

• If you can solve a problem, remember how; if you can’t solve it, train yourself to forget it.

• Do this exercise daily: select a current or past problem and think about what helped you or can help you. No problem is a waste of time; you always learn something. 

• Avoid living in the past or fantasizing too much about the future. Live in the present!

• A number of studies have found that the task of imagining yourself 10 years in the future, when all your goals have been be fulfilled, considerably increases optimism in the long term.

• To do this, spend 15 minutes thinking about how you see yourself 10 years from now, having fulfilled your dreams. This could be in all areas of your life, or just one (family, work, location, experiences, etc.). Once you know what you would like to happen, spend the remaining time imagining what it would be like to live in that situation every day.

• Once you have imagined living in the “best-case scenario,” write it down on a sheet of paper or on your computer so that it stays in your memory in a more vivid, more concrete way.

• Multiple studies have shown that “forcing” yourself to smile when you don’t feel like it makes you feel more cheerful. Pushing yourself a little can lift your spirits.

• To achieve this, identify how you respond when you think negatively (e.g., you become irritated or don’t feel like doing anything) so that it acts as an “alarm clock” to make you break into a broad, long smile to improve yourself.

• Optimism: The Hidden Asset, Bruna Martinuzzi

Note: this article explores the characteristics of optimism, why it is necessary in daily life and how to increase it.

• Los beneficios del optimismo (The Benefits of Optimism), Alex Rovira in El País

Note: this article explains the differences between optimists and pessimists in terms of the way they live, and then goes on to analyze situations and studies that highlight the value of optimism.

• Educar en el optimismo (Teaching Optimism), Marian Rojas

Note: this article explores why and how we should lead by example and train children to be optimistic.

• Como convertirte en una persona optimista (How to Become an Optimistic Person), Raquel Martín

Note: this article offers a series of general, customizable guidelines to explain various ways of increasing optimism.

• Vivir con humor (Living with Humor), Alfonso Aguiló in Hacer Familia

Note: this article analyzes the reasons some people are more optimistic than others, such as the meaning they attach to their own and others’ actions, with a particular focus on memory.

• Stay Optimistic: Lesson from Walt Disney, Ameet Ranadive

Note: this article takes the example of the famous animator and how he beat the odds through optimism when he had lost everything.

• Contagio emocional: se buscan trabajadores alegres (Emotional Contagion: Happy Workers Wanted), Nuria Chinchilla

Note: Professor Chinchilla focuses on the professional setting to describe the benefits of being in a good mood and how to make others happier

• La fuerza del optimismo (The Force of Optimism), Luis Rojas Marcos

Note: Luis Rojas outlines the factors that separate an optimistic from a pessimistic disposition, identifies the toxins most damaging to optimism, describes proven strategies to promote a positive disposition, and examines the influence of optimism on our relationships with other people, our health and our work. The author concludes with an analysis of the most valuable quality of optimism: its enormous, tried-and-tested usefulness when dealing with adversity in life.

• Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl

Note: based on his own traumatic experience in the Nazi concentration camps, this Viennese psychiatrist explores why people hold onto hope when it seems that all is lost.

• The Happy Secret to Better Work, Shawn Achor

Note: after years of research at Harvard University, Shawn Achor explains why taking a positive approach to things helps us work better and be happier.

• No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! Nick Vujicic

• Drew Lynch: Stuttering Comedian Wins Crowd Over

Note: these two videos feature two people who have taken what other people would consider curses and turned them into their strengths, which they now use to inspire others and make them smile and be thankful for what they have.

• Optimismo inteligente (Intelligent Optimism)

Note: this animated video explains all aspects of optimism and the way to improve in this competition.

• Humor at Work, Andrew Tarvin

Note: Since discovering the value of humor while working at a multinational, this young man has traveled the US to help improve companies simply by filling them with humor.

• The Pursuit of Happyness, Gabriele Muccino

Note: The protagonist has a personal and professional life that many would struggle to cope with. He has marital problems, can’t find a job and has nowhere for his son to sleep. Despite this, he never loses hope of overcoming this challenging situation.

• Rudy, David Anspaugh

Note: This film is about a boy who wants to play American football. The problem is that he doesn’t have the physical build or height needed for the sport. However, through effort and self-belief, he wins a place on the team.

• Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

Note: Jamal is a boy who has grown up in the slums of Bombay. He has survived the best he can and, despite all his misfortunes, is still in love with childhood friend Latika. Jamal applies for the TV program “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and reaches the last question before he is arrested by the police for allegedly cheating.

• Patch Adams, Tom Shadyac

Note: A medical student believes that curing diseases is not just about medication and treating the symptoms, but that humor is essential to help patients regain their strength to fight. After this, he decides to apply his theory in a hospital.