The Overlooked Power of Optimism: Your Brain’s Real Opportunity Engine

There’s a moment we’ve all experienced.

You decide you want a particular car …. down to the colour, the model, the shape ….. and suddenly, it’s everywhere. On the highway. In the grocery car park. Crawling through traffic right beside you.

The car didn’t multiply. Your awareness did.

This simple phenomenon reveals something profound about how we move through the world:

What you expect, you start to notice… and what you notice shapes the opportunities you can reach.

No mysticism. No cosmic delivery service. Just basic human perception working exactly as it’s designed to.

And I think this matters now more than ever …. especially for leaders, teams, and individuals trying to climb out of stress, overload, and uncertainty. Because whether you consider yourself hopeful or skeptical, your mindset is quietly determining the doors you see and the ones you walk past without ever realizing what you missed.

What You Focus On Becomes Your Field of Vision

When you’re optimistic about a goal ….. launching a service, applying for a role, rebuilding a relationship …. something subtle but powerful happens.

Your brain begins to scan for anything that aligns with that outcome. You start spotting articles that validate your idea. You overhear conversations that spark possibilities.

You meet someone who says, “I know a guy who can help you with that.”

It feels like coincidence, but it isn’t. It’s attentional filtering …. the brain’s way of letting in more of what you believe is relevant.

And the opposite is just as striking.

When pessimism takes the wheel, your perception tightens. Delays look like disasters. Minor errors feel like proof that failure is coming. Neutral comments turn into criticism and less people may approach you. This affects the opportunity.

The world hasn’t changed… your mind simply tuned into a different channel.

Pressure Distorts Performance

Consider the last time you decided to run to the grocery. You got in your car, turned the key, and went. No overthinking. No pressure. You didn’t treat the act like a life-or-death mission …. and because of that, the process flowed smoothly.

Now think about a goal you’ve been gripping too tightly.

When we overload a goal with emotional weight …. “I must achieve this” …. everything becomes harder. Stress spikes. Mistakes feel bigger. Action feels heavier. This is all mental.

It’s the same dynamic described in Vadim Zeland’s Reality Transurfing:

The more importance you pile onto something, the more resistance you create

When the weight drops, the pathway clears.

You move from forcing to allowing. From tension to flow. From anxiety to coordinated action and yes, you do have to take action…this is physical. The “importance” they talk about here is mental. 

How Optimism Creates Opportunity (Without Anything Magical)

Optimism is often dismissed as fluffy, naïve, or unrealistic. But biologically and behaviourally, it gives you a measurable edge.

Here’s the real engine behind it:

1. Optimism expands your perception

Barbara Fredrickson’s research shows that positive emotion widens your cognitive field. You literally see more options and notice more patterns.

Pessimism narrows the field. Optimism broadens it.

That’s not spiritual …. it’s neurological.

2. Optimism fuels action

People who believe something might work take more steps.
They send the message. They ask the question. They test small ideas.
And statistically, more action equals more opportunity.

3. Optimism changes how others read you

People gravitate toward those who project possibility. Optimists appear capable, collaborative, and future-focused … traits others want to support.

This isn’t magic …. it’s relational psychology.

4. Optimism reframes setbacks

A pessimist sees failure as final. An optimist sees it as feedback.

This keeps the door open long enough for opportunity to land.

5. Optimism shifts your micro-behaviours

Your tone, posture, attention, and listening change when you expect things to work. Those subtle signals make people more willing to bet on you.

Again: behavioural science, not wishful thinking.

The Real Threat: Getting Pulled Into Pendulums

There is one trap worth naming …. what Transurfing calls pendulums: collective emotional fields that pull you in.

You’ve felt it:

• trying to win an argument because you need to be right

• feeling personally attacked when someone disagrees

• losing objectivity because the opinion has become part of your identity

That’s when you’re no longer choosing your perspective … the perspective is choosing you.

Freedom returns when the opinion becomes light again: something you hold, not something that holds you.

A Practical Way to Stay Clear and Steady

Here’s a simple, repeatable cycle you can use when life gets noisy:

1. Start by calming your body – Breathing, scanning, grounding. A settled body creates a usable mind.

2. Name what’s pulling you in – Deadlines, criticism, scarcity thinking, arguments …. naming separates you from it.

3. Lower the emotional weigh – This matters, but it’s not catastrophic. A calmer mind sees more paths.

4. Visualize the outcome lightly – A 30-second mental snapshot of you handling the situation well.

5. Take one small step – Send one message. Tidy one corner. Move one piece forward.

6. Protect your energy – Mute the noise. Reduce the drains. Avoid emotional whirlpools.

7. Acknowledge what went well – Small wins shift your internal frequency and widen your field of vision.

This isn’t about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about staying level enough to see what’s actually possible.

The Real Opportunity Engine Is Already Inside You

Optimism isn’t a soft skill. It’s a competitive advantage …. an overlooked one.

It widens your perception.

It fuels your behaviour.

It influences how people respond to you.

And it keeps you in the zone long enough for opportunities to connect.

Pessimism closes doors before you even reach them. Optimism keeps them open just long enough for you to walk through.

And in a world where timing is everything, that extra second of possibility makes all the difference.

Tony Ragoonanan is the Founder of  V-Formation Training & Development. As a Certified Emotional Intelligence/Performance Strategist, he helps individuals, teams and organizations to align skills, behaviours and outcomes. Outside of this, it’s all about family,  football, and fitness!!

868-681-3492 | tonyr0909@gmail.com