An optimist is a man who starts a crossword puzzle with a fountain pen.

Anonymous

A pessimist is a man who looks both ways before crossing a oneway

street.

Laurence J Peter

Perhaps the most common optimism versus pessimism question is:

Is your glass half full or half empty? The optimist will probably

reply half full and the pessimist will say that it is half empty.

Optimists possess a positive outlook on life in which they

believe that on the whole people and events are essentially good

and as a result most situations work out for the better in either the

short, long or medium term. If something turns out worse than

expected, the optimist is not likely to abandon his optimistic

outlook on life but instead will probably describe the outcome as

misplaced optimism on this occasion.

Pessimists, on the other hand, tend to view life in a generally

negative light. The word pessimism is derived from the Latin

pessimus, meaning worst. If things are bad they worry that they

will not improve or will get worse, and if things are good they fear

that things will soon take a turn for the worse.

Every decision in life that we make, we make based on our veiw of the options. There are lenses, if you will, that we can see the choices through. These lenses are mostly subject to our situation and our background. They form our perception of the world. Our perception of the world is either optimistic or pessimistic.

The optimist believes in the overall good of people. They see the good in things as well as the opportunities in various situations. The pessimist is the opposite. He sees why nothing will work like it’s supposed to. He finds all the possible obstacles first, and that’s where he dwells. I’ve heard some say there’s a third category, the Realist. I think that’s generally the cop-out of a pessimist who won’t admit he is one.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
…………Winston Churchill

Obviously, everyone has a little bit of both of those characteristics. Which one of these we let define our general attitude, has a great influence on how well we do in life. For most of us, it’s an ongoing struggle between the two. It’s much easier to be a pessimist. It’s also easier to find friends in this group. The question is, can you have a successful life as a pessimist? By success, I mean can you set goals, and actually follow through to achieve them with a pessimistic attitude? The odds are greatly stacked against you.

Basically:

Being optimistic can, however, be taken to extremes that are just stupid. We’ve all seen these folks. You know the ones that say things like “there are no such things as problems, just opportunities”….yeah, get real. That’s not what I mean by being optimistic. I’m not talking about running around, spewing quotes that make all your friends and family roll their eyes at you. At the same time, are you the one that gives pessimistic advice? When someone you know has an idea, are you the one that tries to “bring them back to reality”? I’ve probably been guilty of that before.

Being optimistic is better for you and everyone around you. Negativity sucks the life blood out of everything. I know, because I work around a lot of people from both sides.

How would you react if you placed second in a contest? Would you jump for joy and vow to work harder to get better results the next time or would you be discouraged and find any excuse not to try again? In A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts, Frederick Langbridge says: “Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars.” Which one are you? As you go about your daily life, do you see the mud or the stars?

We have many choices facing us each day. Do you tend to choose a pessimist’s view that leads to a self-defeated life? Or do you decide to take the optimist’s route and take on every challenge that comes along? I’m pretty sure most of us slip back and forth between the two, but usually an ongoing pattern develops that tends to favor one attitude over the other.

If you find yourself slipping into the dark side more often then not, remember, it’s just the mud getting in your way and if you shift your focus just a bit, you’ll actually be able to see the stars. Once you’ve seen the stars, there’s nothing that can hold you back.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view?

Well, first of all, it’s healthier. Optimism creates positive moods which in turn create good morale. Regardless of your occupation — butcher, baker or candlestick maker — your optimism is more likely to lead to more success, popularity, better health, a longer life and less anxiety and depression. Sounds like a good deal to me.

On the other hand, depression and pessimism seem to go hand in hand and the rate has never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. In fact, in recent years the average age of the onset of depression has gone from 30 to 15. It’s no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.

So what is the difference between and an Optimist and a Pessimist?

An optimist expects the best. On the other hand, the defining characteristic of a pessimist is they tend to believe bad events, which they know will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is, optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks in life. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune. They usually believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case and everything will change for the better.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the ‘problem’ at hand. They use ‘positive reinterpretation’ — in other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. These people are unfazed by a difficult situation. They look upon it as a challenge and so they try harder.

You will never hear them say things will never get better. On the other hand, a pessimist will believe I failed once, so I know it will happen again and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.

The positive expectations of optimists give them a better reaction during transitions to new situations such as a sudden tragedy or unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up and see the situation as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

People respond positively to optimists because they are people who see the stars and are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They do not need to control or manipulate others and so they usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those who choose to be in their company.

In life, optimists most often win elections or gets voted most congenial and they are the ones sought out for advice. They also know that when the going gets tough, it’s time to get tougher, and they typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who can only see the mud. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems and are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

A person who sees the stars through the mud will patiently persevere, inching their way to their goal step-by-step until it is achieved.

Medical research has shown that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body’s ability to fight disease, thus they usually age well, and are much freer than most people from the usual physical ills and depressions of middle age.

So remember, if you’re having trouble seeing through the bars, it’s simply because there’s too much mud in your eyes. Hey, that’s easily fixed. Shift your eyes over just a bit … there, can you see them? The stars are really bright tonight.