Optimism – Reverse Paranoid

 

‘For myself I am an optimist-it does not seem to be much use being anything else.’

-Sir Winston Churchill

 

‘The optimist says we live in the best of all possible worlds; the pessimist fears this is true.’

-James Branch Cabell

 

‘Most of the troubles of humanity are imaginary and should be laughed out of court.  It is folly to cross a bridge until you come to it, or to bid the Devil good-morning until you meet him—perfect folly.  All is well until the stroke falls, and even then, nine times out of ten, it is not so bad as anticipated.  A wise man is the confirmed optimist.’

-Andrew Carnegie

 

‘The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist.’

-J. Harold Wilkens

 

Do we live in a great world? Or a troubled one? 

Are you destined for success? Or failure? 

Are people out to help you? Or hurt you?

 

If you chose the first answer, you are an optimist.  If you chose the second answer, you are a pessimist.

 

Optimism:   A disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

 

Pessimism:  A tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable or to take the gloomiest possible view

 

Which one of the two views would you like to have?  Which one those two views would you like your children to grow up having?  Who would you rather work for?  Who would you rather be friends with?  Who would you rather help out?  Of course, it is the optimist.

 

I ask all of these questions to stress that it is absolutely obvious that it is much better to be an optimist than a pessimist.  It is undisputable that success belongs to the optimists.  It is amazing how when you believe good things are going to happen, they happen.  And when you think bad things are going to happen, they happen. 

 

How we choose to view the world is up to us.  The answer to all of the first three questions I asked is an opinion.  There is no fact that you can show me to prove the world is troubled where I can’t show an opposing fact to show you it is great.  You can point to an instance when a stranger harmed you or someone you love, and you can point to an instance when a stranger helped you or someone you love.  You have the ability to shape your world view.  Choose to be positive, or choose to be negative.

I have heard people that tend to take the pessimist point of view say that they are only being realistic, and protecting them from being let down and hurt.  Since bad things happen in the world, you are better prepared when you expect them to happen.  My take is that yes, bad things happen in the world.  However, it does no one any good to worry about the bad that might happen.  If it does happen, you will have to deal with it either way.  Save yourself the negativity and worry.  It is much better to overall quality of life to expect good things to happen.  And when you expect people to treat you well, they tend to treat you well.

 

As W. Clement Stone said, be a reverse paranoid.  Believe that the world is conspiring to do you good.

 

It just might.

 

 

Kyle C. Ryan