Optimism or Pessimism
When we were cave people, preparing for the worst case scenario kept us alive. It is also the reason we know not to touch the pretty hot flame again after we've been burned. We tend to react more strongly to negative stimuli and dwell on negative things to ensure we stay safe. So we are no longer cave people; we now live in a modern world, yet we still must protect ourselves while attempting a more positive outlook, less drastic to our fellow ancestors, the Cavemen and Cavewomen.
An optimistic person sees good things everywhere, is generally confident and hopeful of what the future holds. From the optimist's point-of-view the world is full of potential opportunities. The pessimist, on the other hand, observes mainly the negative aspects of everything around. Thinking of all the potential dangers and pitfalls along the way, the pessimist tends to remain passive when encountered with a challenge, believing that their efforts are futile anyway.
Did you know that we have a particular system in our brain called the reticular activating system AKA Google, seriously! You "type" in what it is that you want it to search for; reasons to be unhappy, it will find you a million and one reasons to be unhappy. On the other hand, not all of us are so lucky when searching foe ways to be happy; the more we take in pleasure or gratitude for small things, the greater the result we shall have when we are searching for reasons to be happy. You must build towards finding more positive things. Experiences like sunlight, snow, butterflies and rainbows are all micro-moments that help fill in the gaps. Savouring them helps fortify our minds for when we are faced with adversity. After all the lows help us to appreciate the highs. Jeanette Raymond, a clinical psychologist from Los Angeles points out that pessimists are linked with self-preservation and realism whereas optimists are less bound to reality- they put more energy into possibilities that enhance their sense of agency and self-improvement. Thus making it evident that it is valuable to find the balance between the two, and the balance might be different for everyone. Easier said than done, otherwise we'd all be unicorns, shitting rainbows and granting wishes.
So what are you?
Are you there person who wishes they could breath a little more freely or the person who wants to be a little more cautious? Either way both of these strong characters have room to learn a little about one another, and possibly walk away learning a little more about themselves. If you can help strengthen someones outlook on life while improving your own, why wouldn't you? I guess that's the question we all ask ourselves, why not care a little more? You can, just like you can be a little more optimistic on something that you might be facing right now; there is no success without sacrifice.
Special TIME Edition, December 27, 2019