Okay, so imagine half a glass of water, in front of you. Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? Do you view things from an optimistic or a pessimistic viewpoint? Which are you? A mixture of both or are you leaning more towards one side? Here’s the third choice (it’s the one I would go for), an optimist who occasionally engages in pessimism?
Pessimism = negative perception of life. Optimism = positive perception of life. (Makes sense now?)
A pessimist believes life will always be difficult, whereas an optimist believes that life will always get better. A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Your perception can make that little but significant difference between failure and success. It has a great influence on how well you do in life and how you respond to adversity.
That’s why, when the going gets tough, not only will the optimist get tougher, they will also try harder and keep trying long after the pessimist has given up.
Optimists are generally less stressed and far more likely to be healthier than pessimists. But a pessimist will not consider themselves as negative. Rather they believe they have a more accurate take than an optimist who is “Pollyanna”, someone who’s out of touch with reality or looking through rose tinted glasses.
What to do? Stay a pessimist or emigrate from the land of Pessimism. How to emigrate? Ha! It’s so easy! All you need to do is broaden your scope for a moment and step outside of your negative perspective. Shift + Change your perception. View the situation from a different light. Become more optimistic. Focus on the possibilities and not the impossibilities.
This blog is part of “The A – Z Challenge”, shifting one negative habit a week into a positive. For more info on the challenge, click here: https://www.innerspace.org.uk/challenges/a-z-challenge.php
At times,I suppose,like all of us I can be pessimistic,more so about myself,but can be an enthusiastic optimist about others and possible events…Lol though sometimes it can be difficult or painful if it doesn’t pan out the way I expected or thought it would
Does that make me a pessimistic optimist lol?
I’ve lol-ed but it’s genuine …It’s the way I think at times