Recently, I read an article on optimism and pessimism. The basic point carried across was that typically people fall into one category or the other and the best way to tell is to see how you react to situations. So, if you are a pessimist the less than desired outcome of a situation will be accompanied by your thought that,  ”Well, I didn’t expect it to be that good anyways…” And if you are an optimist you will think to yourself, “What can I learn from that experience?…”

I found that I am caught somewhere between these two opposites. On the one hand I most certainly come away from every situation- good or bad- thinking, “What did I learn from that?” Yet, if I am honest, I also find myself going into things with low expectations, reasoning that that way I won’t be disappointed. Hm.  

The low expectations thing disturbs me. How can you ever expect to be a part of great things if your mind is always holding you back with the thoughts of how bad or un-amazing it will be? Being an optimist takes courage and a risk of disappointment. It isn’t the “safe” place that pessimists generate to ensure that they are always ‘pleasantly surprised’. Yet, I would much rather go through life, risking it all- including looking foolish- to see the wonderful and amazing things of life however they manifest, knowing that my mindset in attracting them with that very outlook will increase my odds of experiencing these great expectations.