Pessimist or Optimist?

It has been written that an optimist is someone who can fall ten stories and call out to each floor in passing that everything is OK so far.  My son-in-law falls (no pun intended) into that category.  Sam always sees the bright side of every situation which is a good balance to my daughter who tends to lean toward the opposite, more pessimistic view of life.  But it has also been said that an optimist refuses to see things sometimes as they really are.

It is far better to expect the worst and then be pleasantly surprised when things turn out better than expected, the pessimist believes.  This attitude avoids any disappointment in the results.  But this attitude is almost like backing into a room, not seeing the beauty that is in front of her only to find out that she has backed into an elevator shaft.

We would not advance in life, love, or discoveries if all we expect is the worse, and going outside that realm of expecting the worse some believe is only daydreaming.  But where would we be without those that were optimists?  Discoveries such as cures for diseases, man flying to the moon, our early settlers that continued to think that moving west would prove fruitful, none of those things would have occurred without some optimism, a dreamer, a doer. Only the optimist believes there are things waiting for discovery and development.

Optimists are aware that the cherries in life have pits, but they are prepared to remove those pits in order to enjoy the sweetness that surrounds them.   I love going to flea markets.  Fighting the crowds, the dust, the heat any of these would stop a pessimist from even considering the trip. Me, all I think about is what treasures I might discover.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist, or a little of both?  I think I fall into that "little of both" category.  I want to always think positively, but sometimes that doubt of pessimism creeps into my thoughts.  Try this exercise, the next time you drive to the mall, the grocery store, the garden center....as you are driving think about that perfect parking spot, visualize it in your mind, concentrate on it, think positive and more than likely when you arrive at your destination that parking place will be waiting for you.  The power of positive/optimistic thinking at work.  This has worked for me time and time again.  Now if only my positive thoughts could bring us some rain and cooler weather.

Don't forget our theme for this month is water (oh would I like to see that fall from the sky).  Post all of your images relating to water on our flickr page and tag them "water" to be considered for our weekly chance to be featured here.

"If you're anticipating the worst while hoping for the best, you will usually get the worst.  Turn it around!  Imagine the best, expect the best and you'll usually get the best."  ~  Dan Zadra