Optimist Vs. Pessimist: Which one are you?

An optimist and a pessimist see the world in a different light than one another. We're going to step into the shoes of both and see which one is the Yin and which one is the Yang in life. Why the glass is half empty for a pessimist and why it is half full for the optimist. Let's start with the pessimist.

Pessimist :(

The Pessimist always views the world as bad, that everything will end up turning out wrong for them, they can never win. They believe that it doesn't matter what they do, something will always push them back to the bottom of the pile, and they will never reach the top of it. They're being destroyed most definitely, but it isn't by the world, or who is in it, it's by the person themselves.

Optimist :)

The Optimist views the positivity in the world. No matter what happens they know that this is simply a passing phase that will soon turn around. There is always something positive happening out of the negative, and believe in the good of the world. They worry, and stress less about things since they are viewing the outcome as ending up being something wonderful and great, but most of all they don't judge people because they love themselves.

You Can't Have Positive Without Negative!

There is a story taken from Shire.net:

"An avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him.

He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, a pessimist by nature, and invited him to hunt with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by. they fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet. This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it.

The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but did not say a single word.

On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, "Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?" "I sure did," responded the pessimist. "He can't swim." "

The obvious moral being that a pessimist denies themselves of any Good that could possibly come from a situation. The amazing and wonderful things. All they see is the things that should of but didn't happen. Depending on if a person is stable or unstable, will really depend on how they view life. Ever wonder what you are? Ask yourself some questions:

1) Do I speak to myself and my actions positively or negatively?

How do you talk to yourself in your mind? Do you answer your thoughts and dreams negatively (e.g. "I can't do that" and/or "I'm not worth the promotion")? Or do you believe 110% in everything you can do (e.g. "I'm going to build a bench today!" and/or "I'm broke, but it's okay because I get paid in a few days.")

2) What kind of people do I surround myself with?

Do they love themselves? Do they talk down to themselves and/or you? Do they support you in your decisions and give you positive feedback on the things you do? How do they treat themselves, and how do they treat others in front of me? How do they treat me?

3) Do I have specific goals that I believe I can reach in the future?

Are you going to go to college? What are you going to do with your life? Is there any drawn out plans in your future, or even vague thoughts about what you want to do? Now is the time to REALLY ask yourself, "What do I want to be when I grow up?" It's this that will focus you for the future, and give you a proverbial "destination" to get to.

4) Do I even see a future for myself, or am I living day-to-day?

Are you even sure about what will happen day-to-day? A lot of people wake up wondering what will happen today, they don't know whether they will still have a job, how the kids will be, some don't even know how they are going to survive. Life is everchanging, so you can never really stick to an initial plan, but it is good to have a view of where you, and those you care for, are going in the future.

5) Am I willing to change?

Are you willing to admit your mistakes, take responsibility for how you have been, and change your life? The first step to ANYTHING is admitting responsibility for your actions. It takes a weight off, and can help you think clearly when you KNOW for CERTAIN that you have a problem you are willing to change. And 90% of problems that people have, are created within, they really need to look into themselves.

These 5 questions are really what you need to ask yourself. In order to make a real change in life, you have to care about what you need out of life. Relationships bad? Finances bad? Social skills bad? Work on it, and remember, Live Smart, Not Hard.