This is the Business English Podcast, how optimism can advance your career.
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For a presentation, a meeting, or your office party, this is Real Business English with your favorite American hosts, Lindsay and Michelle, coming to you from New York City and Colorado, USA.
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Hello there, Aubrey. How's everything going today?
I'm great. How are you, Lindsay? Feeling good.
Feeling good. What are we talking about today?
I have a question for you. Would you ever hire someone who wasn't optimistic?
Ooh, that's a good question. I would be very cautious hiring someone who wasn't optimistic because I actually think that if you're not optimistic, you actually miss opportunities is the gist of it.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, your level of optimism, you guys can help you shine in interviews.
There are definitely employers who wouldn't hire you at all if you seem like a negative, pessimistic person in general, because that can be really difficult to have that on a team.
We need optimism. Yeah, not just for the opportunities that the company is able to find, but just to be around.
A pessimist can be hard at times, right?
I understand as we get older, we become a little more realistic, right?
We become realists a little bit more, but there's a difference between a realist, a pessimist, and an optimist, don't you think?
Absolutely, right? If we think of optimism, just believing the company you work for can succeed and can grow, what employer would not want that attitude in someone who works with them?
Oh my gosh, I am super excited to bring our listeners today on Business English, a special episode of All Ears English, where we talk about this.
Right, Aubrey? So what are we bringing on to the show today?
Yes, this is an amazing discussion that you and Michelle had on the All Ears English podcast about optimism, some great vocabulary for talking about optimism and why it's important, because this is a great way to connect with others, to talk about why should we be optimistic, but also to think about for your career, you're more likely to get a promotion if you're optimistic you're likely to land the job you need this is vital for you in being able to progress at work to be generally optimistic exactly and we're bringing this episode for you guys today to let you know about the all ears english podcast so we want to let you know that we publish amazing episodes over there four days a week so if you missed this episode of the allers english podcast it means you're not following all ears english right aubry Yes, exactly.
We teach vocabulary, grammar and skills over there with the goal of connecting with others in English.
But often we still relate it to work because we know our audience there also often works in English.
So you definitely should be following that podcast as well.
Yeah, I think the key difference is that over on All Ears English, we just take an even broader view of different topics, right?
We go more broad, not just the business world, but culture and travel.
We've interviewed some actors and really so many interesting people on that show.
So guys, make sure you go over and hit that follow button on the All Ears English podcast, and we'll give you more instructions on how to do that once we feature this episode right here now.
Yes, stick around because right after the episode, we are going to discuss our favorite phrases from this discussion that Michelle and Lindsay had.
All right, let's go ahead and listen in.
Here we go. Hey there, Michelle. How's it going?
What's shaking? Hey, Lindsay, not too much.
Do you tend to look at the bright side of things, would you say?
Yeah, I would say my personality is generally pretty optimistic.
I mean, sometimes things get a little dark, right?
And if we watch the news a lot, it can be hard to stay optimistic.
But yeah, I would say my basic personality is positive.
What about you? I think I'm a little bit of both.
Like, I always think about that. Do I fall into one or the other?
And I'm not sure that I do. I think lately I've been a little bit more optimistic.
So that's a good thing. That's awesome. That's awesome.
That's good to hear. Is there anything that's provoking that?
Anything specific or just... the sunshine coming out maybe the sunshine um i don't know yeah it's a good question but lately i've been feeling like oh you know although yeah um anyway all right well all the time today we're going to get into this right personalities and also how it collides with culture How could our culture influence our personality?
That is interesting. But guys, go ahead and make sure you hit follow right now on All Ears English because we focus on connection, human connection.
We're going to show you how to focus on connection, not perfection through these episodes.
So hit the follow button. All right, Michelle, let's get deeper into it.
All right. So today we're talking about the culture of optimism in the U.S.
And also head on over a couple of days ago, episode 21, 28, we did what is New Year's like in New York City.
So that was super fun. Get optimistic about the new year.
Lindsay, do you think that in the U.S. people are generally taught to be optimistic?
Is it part of our culture? How do you feel about it?
I really think they are. We are here. We always like to kind of wrap things up with a nice positive spin at the end.
If you watch our sitcoms or TV shows, we've always said on this show, there's always a lesson, but there's also usually a positive spin to that lesson at the end of the show.
Wouldn't you agree? yes especially like shows like full house um oh yeah you know i'm not sure if that's changing a little bit because i feel like our sitcoms have gotten a little um more edgy darker right like i mean so i think it's a little bit different now but um certainly growing up that cheesy 90s sitcom Full House, even Saved by the Bell.
There was always kind of a moral of the story and optimism.
Yeah. And I guess when I think about American culture, you know, for a country that is so independent minded, we kind of have to be that way.
It probably comes back to the pioneer roots, right?
Because pioneers had to cross the country and discover and just sort of pave away.
And I guess the narrative has to have been positive.
Otherwise, why would you do it if you didn't kind of have an optimistic, a belief that it would be a positive thing?
Right. Yeah, yeah, that's a good point. So today we're going to talk about this culture of optimism in the US.
Lindsay, this idea is inspired by Sophie Ann's question in circle.
Yeah, circle is our community, right? Michelle, it's our is our student community where our students get to hang out together, ask questions, connect with each other.
It's such a fun place. Yeah, absolutely.
So thank you, Sophie and for that question.
But yeah, we wanted to talk about optimism and also expressions that go along with this.
And you can see how it bleeds into our culture by the language that we use.
So yeah, we talked about sitcom endings.
Also, another one I was thinking of was Modern Family.
You know, it's always like at the end of a sitcom when There's a little montage.
There's music. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And there's a voiceover.
Mm hmm. Yeah, for sure. And and Sophie mentioned some things.
Maybe we'll go into these phrases later.
Right, Michelle, later in the episode. OK, good.
So, yeah. Yeah. So good. And I think about this also just in the way that we greet people.
Because I started a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a student and I said, how are you doing?
And she actually told me that she wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer honestly or not, because she's used to hearing people say, oh, I'm good.
So she said, oh, it's really. And then she started giving me the honest answer.
And then she stopped herself and she said, oh, I mean, I'm good.
Like, I guess I'm just supposed to say I'm good. and i yeah i thought that that was interesting that's really interesting yeah i think a lot of students have asked about this over the years right michelle it's uh right is is how are you doing more of a more of a greeting or is it more of a question yeah right yeah um so but i definitely think that goes along with our culture of optimism lindy do you think this can ever get exhausting do you ever feel pressure to be optimistic or have a good attitude Yeah, for sure I do.
And sometimes you just want to be authentic, right?
Because it's not possible that we're always 100% positive all of the time.
So yeah, it can get exhausting, especially not so much about the cultural piece, what is normal in our culture.
It's more about the personality piece. Like if you're a personality that people consider positive, then people kind of are like, oh, why are you not being positive right now?
That can be exhausting, I would say. Yeah.
Well, I just was kind of thinking a little bit about celebrities.
I mean, if you were a celebrity and or just any in maybe not even a celebrity, but somebody, you know, in your town who people know well from, you know, you work at a certain store and everybody knows you and you're having a bad day. and especially with celebrities people it's like they're not supposed to have bad days they're just supposed to be thankful for whatever they have and if you see them and they look like they're in a bad mood then they can get bad press and that must be exhausted that must be really hard must be really hard or you know the shots the photos and in kind of the tabloid magazines and oh it must be so exhausting being a celebrity i can't imagine Yes, yes, exactly.
So I mean, even with my kids, I try to tell my son it's okay to be sad about something.
Like I want him to really experience his emotions and learn how to handle them.
So I'll say, you know, oh, it's okay to feel that way.
This comes from reading all the... all the parent uh information about oh you're supposed to say this is a parent which is a whole other story for another day but yeah like just trying to share that as it's okay to experience emotions i i think it's important to be realistic get comfortable with emotions but one of the things i like to think about is that everything comes and goes so You know, if you're having a bad day, maybe the next day you'll have a good day.
And you have to realize that there are always going to be these changes, right?
Yeah, I think this is a generational shift that we're seeing that I like it a lot that parents now are showing kids kind of the reality.
And you can compare it to kind of like the 1950s post-World War II where there was kind of the flight to the suburbs, right?
And people were getting jobs and the economy was starting to grow.
And I feel like a lot of the TV shows that came out of that time were even more global. glossed over in a positive way like leave it to beaver and all of these shows right that portray this perfect family and and always positive and everything but now i think parents are kind of showing like that's not reality right and we need to teach our kids to recognize a range of emotions yeah yep yep yeah exactly so that's that's important yeah okay anyways um michelle what what else what's next today we're gonna really dive into some expressions in culture that go around that go along with this culture of optimism in the u.s um positive expressions so lindsay what's the first one okay so this idea of looking for the silver lining it's everywhere guys right so finding something positive about a negative experience everywhere we talk about it all the time Yes, exactly.
And then there's also look on the bright side.
So even if something's bad, oh, we'll look on the bright side.
Like, don't get so upset about what's really happening.
Let's look on the bright side. Mm hmm. Yeah, that's a good one.
Or the expression all's well that ends well.
Is this from Shakespeare? Yes, this is Shakespeare.
But it really it's I mean, I don't I'm assuming Shakespeare started this expression because that's from a long time ago.
It's the name of a play, right? It's the name of a play.
Exactly. That's what I thought. Yeah. Yeah.
So but the idea is that, oh, everything's fine as long as the ending is OK.
When in fact, really, the the experience could be traumatic and the ending is okay.
And then you're just supposed to be like, oh, okay, this was fine.
Which is probably a lot of these TV shows is what happened, you know, in the old days.
Or like this one, right? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
This also ties into like our narrative around, you know, the economy around pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you know, an entrepreneurial environment that encourages entrepreneurship. um this all is informed kind of the economy that's kind of has has thrived over the last like 50 years right michelle yeah yeah that's a good point yeah so when life gives you lemons so something sour something that might you know it might not like um make something sweet out of it put some sugar in it although i would argue that that's not making it as healthy anyway you would say extra calories right um so right but um lemonade is delicious so but the point here is that that expression is i feel like that one might be one of the more common ones used on this list I think they're all pretty common, right?
I feel like these are everywhere in our culture, in our narrative, in our TV shows, our books, they're everywhere.
I mean, and the next one, I think, did you and I talk about this, everything happens for a reason or this idea of fate?
I think we have talked about it recently.
Yeah, like being careful about like fate and what you attribute to fate and what you attribute to your own self-direction.
No, maybe not, I don't know. No, no, no.
I think so. I do recall having a recent conversation with you about this.
Okay. Well, this expression, everything happens for a reason, right?
Don't be upset about what's going on because it's part of a bigger plan or a bigger picture, right?
Also really common. Right. Definitely. And there are many, many more.
But so this is a quick list of a whole bunch of them that are very common.
So, Lindsay, I don't know if we already mentioned, but on Spotify, we do these polls as a way to interact with our listeners.
Right, Lindsay? yeah we want to know and today we have a great question that's super relevant from today's episode we want to hear your voice right so if you go over to if you listen on spotify today you can check out the poll and what is our poll question for today all right we want to know we want to know are you an optimist or a pessimist oh this will be really interesting to see how it breaks down worldwide for our listeners i'm super excited Definitely me too.
So let us know. All right. So let's do a role play to use these expressions now.
So here we go. In this role play, you were hoping to get a new dog, but someone else got it first.
You found one you really like. Oh, that's crushing.
Oh, no. Okay. Here we go. Oh, Michelle, he was so cute.
I'm so bummed. Well, look on the bright side.
Someone got the dog. The dog is happy and safe.
You will find another dog you like. Well, that's true.
I guess I should look for the silver lining, shouldn't I?
Yeah, just keep getting out there and you'll find another one.
Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this dog wouldn't have gotten along with Kiefer.
Yeah, I guess you never know. Oh, wow. I see there's another rescue dog event next week.
Maybe your new dog is there. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Yeah, if I get a dog there, it will be great.
All's well that ends well. All right, so we're so positive here. yes we're so positive positivity here i love it i love it um and so this one look on the bright side do you feel like you use it michelle some like in your everyday conversation would you say yourself personally look on the bright side i might i might but not too frequently what do you think yeah i agree it's it's out there i mean i hear it i just i might not personally use it it almost feels a little too like well too neat and tidy right yeah a little bit Yeah, as we've been saying, but guys, it makes total sense.
It's communicative. It's positive. So so you said, Michelle, well, look on the bright side and then you're going to say something positive after that.
Right. A good point. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
And then you said, that's true. I guess I should look for the silver lining.
So the silver lining is the positive part.
So this being that the dog is rescued, somebody is getting him and he's he's he's safe and you should be happy about that.
Yeah, I love it. And then you said, yeah, just keep getting out there and you'll find another one.
Everything happens for a reason. So you're saying maybe the reason is that this dog wouldn't have meshed well with Kiefer, right?
With my current dog that I'm going to keep, of course.
Yeah. Yes, yes, exactly. And then I look and I see maybe a sign or something that there's another rescue dog event.
And so I said, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
So even though you're sad, now we can make something sweet and go to another place to try and find you your dog.
Yeah, exactly. And I feel like with that one, we also use it in a way of like if I'm trying to think of like if you lose a job, right, you let's say you're an employee, and you lose a job, and then you decide you get fired.
And it doesn't seem obvious why you're got fired.
There's no explanation for it. And you say to yourself, I'm never going to work for anyone again, for example, then you go and start your own business and you make something so much better.
That's it's like a creative. It's like, yeah, yeah, when you think it's something good for yourself. yeah something bigger and better comes out of a negative outcome is kind of the way i see that phrase right yeah i think that yeah that's a good point lindsay i think that that's great um and then you said yeah if i get a dog there it will be great all's well that ends well so it's like oh well if if i get a dog in the end it's fine about this one exactly all right any final thoughts any takeaway for our listeners today well first off i want to know do you think you're going to get another dog ever Oh, yeah, of course.
We'll get another dog. It's just that maybe in a couple of years, it's expensive having a dog, Michelle.
Oh, two dogs. Doggy daycare. Yes, yes, yes, exactly.
All right. Well, so the takeaway is, yeah, we have to kind of understand how this fits into the culture and realize that it's okay to have your real feelings.
And we don't want to be that annoying optimist.
Yeah, neither. Because sometimes it can be irritating if somebody if you can't experience your real feelings.
Oh, for sure. For sure. Yeah. I'm watching this show and maybe you've seen it.
It's called Dead to Me. It's kind of a dark comedy with Christina Applegate.
I love her. Yes, me too. Okay. So the Judy character, she reminds me of someone who's like ridiculously optimistic in situations where you should never be optimistic.
Yes. It's hilarious. She's so funny. And she's almost like a cartoonish character because... Yes, she is.
Yeah. So it's almost like it's a misfit.
It doesn't make sense in those situations to be optimistic.
But I would say in general, American culture is pretty positive.
We have this narrative. It'll be interesting to see in the next 100 years, where does that go?
Does that continue as we age as a culture, right?
And an economy? Yes. Yes. So much can change this outlook.
So definitely stay tuned. Yeah, guys, for sure.
Go participate in our Spotify poll. We want to know, are you an optimist or a pessimist?
Let us know. Good stuff, Michelle. You have a good day.
All right. You too. Bye, Lindsay. Bye. So, Lindsay, I think my favorite phrase from that episode was always look on the bright side.
It's such a key attitude to think this way at work.
Yeah, I mean, this is someone, when we look on the bright side, we lift others up.
Instead of being that negative, gloomy presence, right?
Most of us have in the past worked with that person, right?
You don't want to be that person. Exactly, right?
This was such an interesting discussion of optimism in American culture and And a great chance for all of you to reflect on what this is like in your culture, both at work and in your country.
This is really important. This helps us succeed as well to think about this.
How is my culture affecting the way I think and act?
Oh my gosh, it's super interesting and important to think about that, right?
So guys, this episode is an example of the kinds of episodes that you get over on the All Ears English podcast.
Aubrey, how can our listeners right now add All Ears English to their listening queue for four days a week?
Yes, wherever you listen to podcasts, search for All Ears English and hit follow.
You'll see all three of our episodes. Make sure you're following, of course, this podcast, the Business English podcast, but also All Ears English.
So many, four episodes a week, like you said, such great information over there.
Yes, I love it. So guys, open your search bar right now and type in All Ears English.
You're going to see it's a photo of me and Michelle coming up on the front.
You'll see the yellow. Open the show and hit the follow button.
And Aubrey, I am excited to see you on the next episode here of Business English.
And you are also over on All Ears English sometimes.
Isn't Exactly. Yes. You'll hear both Lindsay and I, as well as Michelle over on All Ears English.
So check it out, guys. Amazing lessons and discussions that'll help you thrive both at work and in life.
Amazing. Well, thanks for hanging out today, Aubrey.
Awesome. See you next time. Have a good one.
Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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