Especially, When life is hard, you tend to fall into a negative downward cycle. When bad things seem to happen to you and the people in your life, it's hard to imagine things can be good. It would help if you had a way of getting back on the path.
Personally, I reaffirm my commitments - the why behind all the things I do. Then I look around the world to see the positivity that is evident around us. That keeps me optimistic.
I'm not saying I ignore the negativity around me. It's out there, and it can be scary, but I refuse to make it define me. Most pessimists I know have no real ambitions because they can't see the need to strive for excellence. They believe they will invariably lose, and the world is doomed. For them, It's just a matter of time before we self-destruct.
To be an optimist, you have faith in the future, so you invest in yourself, maintain your health, strive for financial security and be a creator. The world keeps improving, and you don't want to be left behind as it does.
Sometimes I feel I don't have the right to complain because of where I'm from and all the progress that has been made to make my life better. I'm not going to oversimplify life. Nobody is a 100% pessimist or optimist, but I think we need more people to lean on the optimistic side of life.
Something to note is that nothing happens on whatever side of the fence you find yourself without you taking action.
If you haven't heard, let me tell you. Taking action is the only way you will attain your goals.
When you adopt an optimistic perspective on the world, you behave differently. Even when things go to shit, you consciously reframe scenarios in a positive light. That's what realistic optimism is about. A combination of optimism and realistic thinking will help you navigate through life. Realistic thinking does not mean never seeing the bright side of life or dreaming big; not at all. It's simply a way of supporting your optimism with the action steps so that
you can create a positive future as opposed to being stuck in fantasy.
Glass half empty or a glass half full? You choose.