This counterintuitive mindset will make you more innovative and successful

This counterintuitive mindset will make you more innovative and successfulThis counterintuitive mindset will make you more innovative and successfulOne of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says, Im not a pessimist. Im a realist.Truthfully, most of us think were realists. We binnensee the world the way we see it.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreBut how we actually behave is a different matter, and reveals the truth about our outlook.A realist who predicts that things will get worse under X leader or Y policy is really being a pessimist.A realist who thinks that because theyve won three hands in a row means theyre more likely to win the next hand is being optimistic, but foolishly.Optimismhopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.Pessimisma tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen a lack of hope or confidence in the future.Generally, pessimism is seen as a bad thing. It prevents us from going after our dreams.Yet, smart investors rely on pessimism to hedge bets and not lose money.And though glass-half-full optimism is typically praised by society and touted by successful entrepreneurs, Bernie Madoff went to prison because of his faith in his ability to beat the financial system without getting caught.In my work as a business and science journalist studying innovative people andteams- and then attempting to put their secrets into practice as founder of my own company- Ive found thatsomething thats commonly conflated with pessimism actually makes a crucial differencebetween moderately successful people andincrediblysuccessful people.This trait is a key ingredient in the formula that leads to breakthrough innovation, and goes often unrecognized.Which is a better default outlook Optimism or Pessimism?To me, the answer doesnt matter until we add a second dimension to the equation. Then we reveal a combination that makes optimism the more powerful of the two.That dimension iscredulityThe differences between Optimism and Credulity, Skepticism and Pessimism, are subtle. But theyre crucial. On their face, credulity seems to be a marker of good faith, a noble value, and skepticism is thought of as grouchy or stubborn. However, heres how the dictionary defines themCreduloushaving or showing too great a readiness to believe things.Skepticalnot easily convinced having doubts or reservations.When charted by these two dimensions, its clear that some measure of success and failure can be found in every categoryA compulsive gambler, is both optimistic and credulous, believing she can and will win.And yet,entrepreneursare often both optimistic and credulous.Someone with apersecution complexis both skeptical and pessimistic, believing people have ill intentions and things wont get better.And yet, somehoarders and hermitsleave their kin valuable property in their wills.A c onspiracy nutis perhaps worst of all he is both eager to believe and pessimistic about the future.And yet conspiracy websites make money from advertisements. (Not to mention, someinvestorsmake - or avoid losing - lots of money using this attitude.)Though people can find success with any of these combinations, the most counter-intuitive quadrant is the one where the most breakthrough success can be foundOptimistic, but Skeptical.This is where the innovators reside, where inventors who dare to doubt the status quo ask the questions that need to be asked in buchung for the world to change.They need a healthy amount of optimism to believe that the world can change for the better, and that drives them to make transformative things happen*(Note I dont intend to downplay the hardship that is clinical depression, re Quadrant 3. Depression comes with,by definition, an inability to see a better future. Youre skeptical of the value of basic things in life including life itself, and thats an incredibly difficult obstacle.)While credulous optimists rely on good winds to push their sails (and often find them), skeptical optimists ask questions like, Do we need sails?Once you recognize the trait, its easy to see why the worlds great change-makers fit in this category, and why skeptical optimism is under-appreciated.Steve Jobs welches one of the worlds greatest optimists, and thats what people remember him for. But he welches also incredibly demanding and skeptical. He was constantly unsatisfied, consistently pushing back against what was shown him or what was conventional.He continually said, Thats not good enough.Jobs was not easily convinced. But he believed in an incredible future. And that combination helped him unlock it.Harriet Tubman, one of my favorite historical characters, was clearly an optimist when she had many reasons not to be. She was born a slave, lived a hard life, suffered a head injury that caused her seizures her husband remarried another woman and dec lined to flee north with her.And yet, after she escaped from her captors, Tubman venturedbackinto slave territory to rescue people. She clearly had faith in a better future for her and them, and thats what people remember.But Tubman wasnt credulous. She was extremely careful, carried a pistol with her (and had occasion to pull it out). She was wary of circumstances and peoples loyalty and intentions until proven otherwise - and that allowed her to rescue dozens of people from slavery and inspire millions more.The skeptical optimist believes things can be better, but doubts conventional wisdom. Sure, madmen also fall under this definition.But as Ive written before,apparent-crazy is one of geniuss main ingredients.For those of us who have faith in a better future, personally or professionally, cultivating a skeptical eye can transform how we operate - for the better. For those that lack confidence, lets harness that doubt into healthy solutions and big ideas.It doesnt matter if the glass is half full or half empty if you think you can make a better glass.Want to Work Smarter?Ive created a little cheat sheet for how to uselateral thinkingto change your work and life, based on science and my bestselling bookSmartcuts. Its free.Get the cheat sheet hereThis article first appeared on Medium.