How do you really see the world?
First of all, in order to be able to answer this question, you need to fully understand what each word means.
What is an optimist?
1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome.
2. A believer in philosophical optimism.
What is a realist?
1. One who is inclined to literal truth and pragmatism.
2. A practitioner of artistic or philosophic realism.
3. Pragmatic – Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.
What is a skeptic?
1. One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
Personally, I like to think that I’m an optimist. I look at people and situations and always try to hope for the best, but I do believe in the back of my mind that I’m a balance between the three types above. I believe my heart always tries to believe the best, my experience causes me to be skeptical at times, and the lessons I’ve learned in life have made me stop and be a realist in other moments.
Sometimes I wish I was a complete optimist. As the sayings go, “ignorance is bliss” and “love is blind”. However, after knowing that while someone may look perfect or a situation may seem completely wonderful upon first encounter, there is always something that comes up because, the reality is, everyone is human, even the most kind hearted person makes mistakes, even an unsinkable ship can sink in a tragically “Titanic” manner.
While I’m a big believer in the power of the mind and positive thinking. I’m also a true supporter of the idea that balance is the key to any successful business endeavor or personal relationship. If we go into new experiences with “innocent blinders” on there will be much that we may miss and regret later on down the line, a big reason why I believe our divorce rate is so high. And, if we go begin adventures with a purely skeptical approach, we will find that we fail to see the good in situations and alienate some incredible opportunities.
As a result, I do my best to open new doors with an optimist heart, a pragmatic mind and only draw out a “shield” of skepticism if I feel as though someone doesn’t have my best interests at heart.
So what about you? Which category, or categories do you feel you fall under?
Joie Schmidt © Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved.
For a complete e-book of poetry by Joie Schmidt, “Dreams of the Heart” Amazon’s Kindle or “Dreams of the Heart” (Adobe Reader)
For more inspirational reading:
Do you have a story, poem, artwork or photography you’d like to share? Please check out this site to earn limitless income for life: Triond
Welcome to Authspot, the spot for creative writing.
Read some stories and poems, and be sure to subscribe to our feed!
