A Cuppa with Victor Perton, Chief Optimism Officer at The Centre for Optimism

On this episode we shower you with a big dose of optimism and get you to look at your cup, not as half full or half empty, but overflowing!

Victor Perton is the Chief Optimism Officer at The Centre for Optimism. 

The Centre for Optimism is 8000 people in 82 countries and asks people “What makes YOU optimistic?” and “What makes YOU feel Optimistic?” 

Prior to taking on the optimism mission, Victor was a barrister, 18 years a member of the Victorian State Parliament, Trade Commissioner in North and South America; and senior adviser to the Australian G20 Presidency. 

Victor is a Board Member of Yarra Valley Water and Vicwater.  

The foundation for the formation of The Centre for Optimism was a two year “Australian Leadership Project” which concluded Australian leadership was pretty good so why the negativity in Australia? 

Victor’s Eureka moment came in 2017 – the problem was not the problem of leadership but the fog of pessimism.   His book, “Optimism: The How and Why”, sums up that journey. 

As a speaker, Victor promises his audience they will leave laughing or singing or both.  All the links to the exercises and resources are at the bottom of the show notes.

2:00  Victor turned the tables on me and asked me "what makes me optimistic"

2:43  Why and where does all the optimism originate?  Hear is fascinating history which goes back to pre Russian revolutionary Czarist Russia

4:17  His grandmother always said she always wanted to outlive communism.  Hear her amazing tales of hardship and persecution whilst never losing hope.

7:22  Optimism is a state of mind, not the state of the world.

10:43  The boarding house with rats in Richmond, the stench of burning rubber and the peering possum.  The migrant life.

13:40  Why Victor entered politics

20:00 The Tax Commissioner and Victor's mum.

23:30  Victor was the first politician in Australia to have a website and his foresight into the future of communication

29:00  The power of laughter. 

30:00  The changing face of politics and the 24 x 7 news

35:00  Changing 1 life at a time, a powerful chance encounter in jail and  a perspective changing question we can all ask.

42:00  The power of gratitude and a very simple exercise which for many, is better than anti-depressants.

46:00  The catalyst for The Centre of Optimism.

52:00  Enjoy some 'Optimistic Exercises'

55:30  Ultimately, Optimism is a choice

59:50  You make your own memories.  Very few of us have an accurate memory.  Our memories are re cast in the stories we re tell.  The memories adapt to the stories dependant on how we recite the memory, be it in a positive or negative light.

1:01:00  Victor's interesting perspective regards the media and the news.

5 Minute Survey – What makes you Optimistic?  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Optimism2023 

What is Optimism?  https://www.centreforoptimism.com/whatisoptimism 

My Best Self https://www.centreforoptimism.com/your-best-possible-self 

My Optimism Superpower - https://www.centreforoptimism.com/superpowers