It’s always popular for certain people to declare themselves to be “realists” rather than “optimists” or “pessimists.” It sounds good – it implies that the person saying it is free from the tendency to either view the glass as half full, or as half empty.
The problem is, no one is actually much of a “realist” when it comes down to it. We all naturally make value judgements about things, set up certain expectations and visions for the future, and assume things about the motives and actions of others.
Martin Seligman, the psychologist who pioneered the field of Positive Psychology, is a strong advocate for the concept of “Learned Optimism,” with the caveat that it pays not to be naïvely optimistic about situations where the stakes are high.
In any case, here are some reasons why you should work on building a bit of (smart) optimism in your life.
Because in many cases, there will be no way of knowing if your interpretation of the situation is “right” – so you might as well choose the interpretation that is most uplifting.
Human beings are subjective creatures, and no matter how much you like to try and investigate and get down to the heart of things, it will often not be possible to actually know if your particular interpretation of a situation is “right” in an objective sense.
If that’s the case, it makes sense that you might as well choose the interpretation that is the most uplifting for you, and that does you the most good.
Your mood and actions can be shaped to a significant degree by how you choose to interpret everyday happenings, after all.
Because allowing yourself to be too pessimistic and sceptical will cause you to withdraw more, and pass up on opportunities and fulfilling moments.
One of the worst things about being too pessimistic and sceptical isn’t just that it will make you feel bad, but that it will also tend to cause you to withdraw more from the world around you, and to pass up on opportunities that you could have taken advantage of, and fulfilling moments you could have experienced.
After all, if you believe that everything is inevitably going to go wrong, and that everyone around you has the worst of intentions, why wouldn’t you want to isolate yourself?
A more optimistic approach to life can absolutely transform your life by putting you in a position where you will actually be likely to achieve and enjoy things, and accumulate experiences, instead.
Because life is just more exciting when you believe that the future holds great possibilities.
When all is said and done, an optimistic approach to life is simply more exciting and fun than a pessimistic one.
On some level, it’s probably fair to say that most people would like their lives to be more like great adventures than a series of mundane events, or outright tragedies. And although every life involves a mixture of all three elements, there’s no reason to emphasise the bitter and mundane stuff primarily.
Optimism allows you to remain excited about the future, and about your own potential. It makes life more interesting, whether you are imagining the great wine cellar design you will have in your dream home, or whether you’re getting excited about a career you’re planning to pursue.
