--- title: "Kick it Old-School With a Sense of Nostalgia" id: "20542" type: "post" slug: "kick-it-old-school-with-a-sense-of-nostalgia" published_at: "2013-11-18T17:49:16+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T21:29:16+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/11/18/kick-it-old-school-with-a-sense-of-nostalgia/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/11/18/kick-it-old-school-with-a-sense-of-nostalgia.md" excerpt: "How nostalgia can help build your own sense of optimism. Also: Two alternative organizational structures which could make your association's workload easier to lift." taxonomy_category: - "Organizational Strategy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Organizational Structure" - "Personal Goals" - "productivity" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Kick it Old-School With a Sense of Nostalgia ## How nostalgia can help build your sense of optimism. Also: two alternative organizational structures that could make your association’s workload easier to lift. Love the ’80s? Of course you do. How about that awesome project you got to work on a long time ago? Pretty rad, right? Reminisce a second. A moment of reflection might just make you feel a little bit better. Nostalgia’s psychological effects, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links: **Get nostalgic:** Nostalgia has had a huge case of overexposure over the years, as anyone who spent the mid-naughts watching VH1 can attest. But that doesn’t necessarily mean looking back is a bad thing. In fact, a new study published in the *Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin* suggests that nostalgia can make us more optimistic about the future. “Nostalgia is experienced frequently and virtually by everyone, and we know that it can maintain psychological comfort,” study co-author [Tim Wildschut, Ph.D., told PsychCentral (opens in a new tab)](http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/11/14/reminiscing-can-increase-self-esteem-optimism/62030.html) . “For example, nostalgic reverie can combat loneliness. We wanted to take that a step further and assess whether it can increase a feeling of optimism about the future.” So if you’re aiming for a pick-me-up, give your past successes a good hard look. **Make your goals attainable:** Are you finding that you’re taking on too many things within your small organization’s structure—with none of them getting done effectively? [Lori Halley of Wild Apricot understands your plight (opens in a new tab)](http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2013/11/18/becoming-a-workplan-or-mission-driven-association?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WildApricot+%28Wild+Apricot+Blog%29) and suggests that building around a framework could help you reach your goals. She points out two that are worth considering: the “workplan-driven” framework, which focuses on a set agenda for the entire year for both volunteers and staff, and a “mission-driven” model, which gets away from committees and focuses on involving volunteers in whatever small ways the association needs. (*Associations Now*’s Joe Rominiecki [touched on the latter last month](http://associationsnow.com/2013/10/how-micro-volunteering-builds-association-ownership/) .) Laying them side by side, Halley helps you gauge the strengths and weaknesses of each. How can you keep your organization’s work manageable for both your employees and members? **The bad seeds:** It’s easy to let an idea grab hold in your brain—but it can be a challenge not to let that lingering thought grow into a head full of doubts. That’s what *Inc.com* contributor Geoffrey James warns in his latest piece. He cautions against five “toxic beliefs,” including linking your self-worth to others’ opinions, letting your past define your future potential, and believing that supernatural forces control your destiny. In the case of the third, James writes: “This all-too-common (and ultimately silly) belief robs such people of initiative, making them passive as they wait for their ‘luck’ to change.” [Check out the full list (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/5-toxic-beliefs-that-ruin-careers.html) —and if these beliefs are plaguing you, work to get out of that mindset. What’s on your reading list today? Tell us in the comments below. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Organizational Structure](https://associationsnow.com/tag/organizational-structure/) [#Personal Goals](https://associationsnow.com/tag/personal-goals/) [#productivity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/productivity/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoChallenge Legacy Mindsets at MMC+TechApril 17, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/04/17/challenge-legacy-mindsets-at-mmctech/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F11%2F18%2Fkick-it-old-school-with-a-sense-of-nostalgia%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !