The Optimists and the Pessimists

“Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist the parachute.” —Author unknown

Good morning! I was talking with a friend recently and she had one of those wonderful “a-ha” moments. She explained that she considered herself an optimist and wanted to be an optimist. Yet as we spoke, I noticed that she continually snuck in little jabs at herself no matter what area of her life we were discussing. This had become so habitual that she didn’t realize how frequently she was doing it. She worried that her life was careening out of control and she couldn’t figure out how to stop it. Yet if she wanted the best, and was willing to aim for the best, and considered herself an optimist at heart—how could everything seem so “lost?” 

There are definite optimists in life. There are also definite pessimists. There is another group of people, a large group, that I will nickname “poptimists.” “Poptimists” are optimists at heart—yet their level of disbelief forces them to “pop” their hope as soon as they create it. They are so convinced that nothing will work, because very few things have, that each ray of hope also carries a shadow of doubt. Yet they aren’t pessimists—because they haven’t given up. They still know how to hope. 

If we use today’s quote to visualize a “poptimist,” a poptimist would be wearing a parachute while sitting in the airplane. She doesn’t want to get off the plane really, because she knows there has to be something better. Yet, she isn’t willing to let go of her safety net and disbelief long enough to truly enjoy the scenery that is visible from the plane. Her vision is constantly hampered by her parachute.

The biggest challenge for the poptimist is letting go. A poptimist must learn to trust themselves and trust in life. You can’t truly experience the journey if you are constantly waiting for the “other shoe to drop.” This would be like trying to enjoy a Sunday drive with the parking brake on. We can’t move forward, when we doubt the steps ahead of us.

Your Turn:

Are you an optimist, pessimist, or poptimist? If you relate to the idea of “poptimism,” make an effort to put down your parachute so you can fully enjoy life. Suspend your disbelief for an hour, and talk nicely to yourself. Then challenge yourself to do it for two hours, then three, then a day, until you embrace a shadowless heart of hope.

Today’s Affirmation:

I let go of doubt and disbelief, knowing that I deserve the best and can create the best.