Robin Roberts overcame many obstacles to become the anchor for the number one morning show in America. Add a medical odyssey on top of sustaining professional excellence, and you have what seems like an insurmountable situation.
What was her secret to pushing through and continuing to achieve her goals?
Staying positive.
"You need to change the way you think in order to change the way you feel," she said.
Shifting your mindset is important when battling adversity. Robin reminds us that being positive is a choice and something you can practice intentionally.
"Optimism is like a muscle that gets stronger with use."
DREAM BIG, FOCUS SMALL
She details her path to positivity in her new memoir, Brighter By the Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams, where she also goes into her process to achieving success. Besides having a positive attitude, setting realistic goals is just as important.
In the broadcast, she tells the story of how she took a part-time job paying $5.50/hour instead of taking one of several full-time offers because they didn't align with her ultimate goal.
"I believe in dreaming big but focusing small," she said. This means realistic goal-setting and taking one step at a time. It also means being able to pivot when necessary.
Her original goal was to become a professional athlete but once that turned into a pipe dream, she shifted her mindset and was able to still follow her passion by becoming a sports reporter.
She tells everyone — especially those with a pessimistic outlook on their future — to remember you’re a "limited edition with unlimited possibilities."
The path to get to where you're going might not be a straight line but you’ll get there eventually.
Lessons in Optimism
In this broadcast, Robin discusses:
- The importance of kindness and gratitude
- Never feeding into fear but rather, the good
- Always being your authentic self
- Making a habit out of optimism
- Avoiding nasty criticism and embracing constructive criticism
- The most important lesson she learned outside the classroom
- The power of a thank-you note
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