Eternal Sunshine Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I am of course a pessimist-realist. Link to post Share on other sites
Philosoraptor Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Happy happy joy joy. Life is what you make of it. If you view is looking for bad things, you will find them. If you look for the good, you can find a positive in almost anything. It could always be worse... 311 LYRICS - Jupiter "Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." - Siddhartha Gautama Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eternal Sunshine Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think that being one or the other is a result of your genetics/childhood and people just have a natural tendency towards one. Not something you can truly talk yourself out of. Link to post Share on other sites
zengirl Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think that being one or the other is a result of your genetics/childhood and people just have a natural tendency towards one. Not something you can truly talk yourself out of. Definitely untrue. Certainly genetics and socialization/childhood play some role, but you can definitely change. I am definitely an optimist now, but I was definitely pessimistic and cynical when I was younger (I called it realism, but there's really no such thing -- or rather, everyone is a realist, for whichever way they see the world is real to them -- and I was definitely pessimistic). Link to post Share on other sites
EasyHeart Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I'm hopelessly optimistic to the point of wondering whether I'm borderline retarded. Life is good -- and it's going to be even better! If not, oh well I'll just try again. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eternal Sunshine Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 I dunno zengirl, I am yet to see a significant change in anyone. My dad has always been a pessimist and my brother and mum optimists. I am like my dad, cynical and (mostly) negative. Link to post Share on other sites
january2011 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This quick and dirty test tells me I'm an optimist: Quiz - Pessimist, optimist or realist? - YouThink.com I'm optimistic about some things and pessimistic about others. It also depends a lot on my mood and if the sun is shining as well as lots of other factors. In my opinion, it's better to have a balance rather than swing too far one way or the other. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
monkey00 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 A cynic-realist-optimist. I guess it depends on the time of day and situation Link to post Share on other sites
zengirl Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I dunno zengirl, I am yet to see a significant change in anyone. My dad has always been a pessimist and my brother and mum optimists. I am like my dad, cynical and (mostly) negative. I do not think you see it often because it requires conscious work (optimists become pessimists rarely, and that doesn't take work, but I suppose much tragedy or something). Many people don't want to do the work to change their mindsets. But you absolutely can do it and change your beliefs and so forth. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
january2011 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Edited to add: I find that it also varies depending on the people around me. I tend to play devil's advocate a lot. My ex used to tell me that I was very negative - but I saw myself as a pragmatic person, even if that meant that it manifested itself as pessimism. The ex was a bit of a pollyanna and so I became more pragmatic to balance us out. The current guy is more of a pragmatist and slightly pessimistic, so I'm more of an optimist and cheerleaderish. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
runner Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 A cynic-realist-optimist. I guess it depends on the time of day and situation hmm i kinda like that. in any case, here's a song that comes to mind 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Philosoraptor Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think that being one or the other is a result of your genetics/childhood and people just have a natural tendency towards one. Not something you can truly talk yourself out of. I was miserable at one time. I decided that the anxiety of looking for and expecting bad things to happen was stopping me from living. I decided I would deal with the bad if it happened, but not stress over it unless it was a sure thing. I generally live with the belief that life will work itself out, and it generally always does. Just give it time and be the best person I can be. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
xxoo Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This quick and dirty test tells me I'm an optimist: Quiz - Pessimist, optimist or realist? - YouThink.com. Pegs me as a realist, which I think is accurate. More truthfully, I am a pessimist in some areas of life (business, money....things that cause me anxiety) and an optimist in other areas (relationships, hobbies, my skill areas....things where I feel a sense of peace and agency). It just all balances out ES, do you feel pessimistic across the board, or more in some areas than others? I have experienced a shift in specific areas, growing less pessimistic and more optimistic as life experience proved "everything will be alright". 1 Link to post Share on other sites
runner Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This quick and dirty test tells me I'm an optimist: Quiz - Pessimist, optimist or realist? - YouThink.com Realist You don`t let things get you too down, or too up. You`re an Even Steven and you stay away from extremes. Link to post Share on other sites
EasyHeart Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I don't think being realistic is inconsistent with being optimistic. For instance, I don't get in the car thinking "Everyone on the road is a cautious driver so I don't have to worry about a thing!". Instead, I put on my seat belt, stay aware of my surroundings and minimize distractions to my driving. Same with money: I always budget conservatively so that I usually end up with a little surplus or at least a balance. I certainly don't spend as much money as I want then expect it to magically appear in my bank account. Part of the reason I'm so optimistic is because I'm practical. To me "Plan for the worst but expect the best" is the definition of optimism. Link to post Share on other sites
Courage Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I took the quiz and it came out as Realist. Seems about right, but in the past I was optimistic to the point of naivety and life kinda smacked me upside the head and changed things. Hopefully I'm in a more balanced medium now. Link to post Share on other sites
ThaWholigan Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I'm definitely more of an optimist, always have been to be honest. Link to post Share on other sites
zengirl Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I don't think being realistic is inconsistent with being optimistic. For instance, I don't get in the car thinking "Everyone on the road is a cautious driver so I don't have to worry about a thing!". Instead, I put on my seat belt, stay aware of my surroundings and minimize distractions to my driving. Same with money: I always budget conservatively so that I usually end up with a little surplus or at least a balance. I certainly don't spend as much money as I want then expect it to magically appear in my bank account. Part of the reason I'm so optimistic is because I'm practical. To me "Plan for the worst but expect the best" is the definition of optimism. Right. If you are not practical with your optimism, it is probably easy to get disillusioned. I've not met too many real optimists --- I've met some people who seem overly optimistic and delusional but also have massive anxieties, fears, and cynicisms; I'm not sure if they can really be considered optimists because they swing from blind hope to pure bitterness --- who are not fairly practical, though. I'm not sure how you could continue on with an unrealistic version of optimism unless you just have boundless luck. I think optimists have better luck than pessimists (because they create less of their own bad luck), but not THAT good. Link to post Share on other sites
spookie Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 According to the test, I'm an optimist. I totally believe that a persons outlook can change. Mine certainly has since I put somE distance between my very pessimistic family, and gained some control over my life. Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Scorpio Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Realist, although I'm not sure how authentic that result is based on the way I feel right now. If I could get a career break, I'd become an optimist over-night. Link to post Share on other sites
Anela Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I'm hopelessly optimistic to the point of wondering whether I'm borderline retarded. Life is good -- and it's going to be even better! If not, oh well I'll just try again. I feel that way on good days, too. I finally dragged myself out of bed a while ago. When I was there, I was thinking things like, "I'm so screwed up, why do I bother trying?" Since I've been outside, I've felt a little better, so I guess I'm an optimist today. I used to be a lot more optimistic, but I'm more of a rusty toy taking its time to wind up now. I'd love to be back to my old self. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Belle Vie Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 I'm definitely a pessimist, all the way. Each day I get out of bed and think, "I'm old, and I'm going to die. What's the point?" And then I go about doing what I have to do to get through that day and support myself, so I can do the same thing the next day. Not the best way to live--but like I said, I'm a pessimist... Link to post Share on other sites
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