Optimistic Pessimism: What's Your View? Is It Time For A Change?

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts

Life is filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and give life a good run for the money, thus creating a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why not?

Optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health, and even long life and freedom from unnecessary trauma have been attributed to optimism.

On the other hand, depression associated with pessimism has never been higher. Depression affects middle-aged adults the same way it affects younger people. The mean age for the onset of depression has gone from age 30 to as young as age 15, in some cases. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also the beginning of a downward spiral for today's teenager’s.

Here’s a look at some optimistic perspectives and their pessimistic counterparts in action, and why it could really pay to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best.

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way each explains their misfortune. That is to say they see things as complete opposites. Optimists tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unphased by a bad situation, they perceive it as a challenge and try harder.

Optimists typically won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” or “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies, or an unlikely turn of events. If an optimist falls, they will stand up. Where pessimists see obstacles, optimists see opportunities.

People respond positively to optimists.

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their own happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and are sought after for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher.

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that these events exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

Optimists persevere.

They just don’t give up easily. Optimists are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer.

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.

An optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ails of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today and think positively towards a more fulfilled life?

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to have hope; for there is always another, brighter, better tomorrow?

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe... it can achieve." ~ Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich.



‘Hand of Hope’

This post has been featured on The Best of Tumblr Blog - Found on the blog of foshurelindato

A picture began circulating in November. It should be “The Picture of the Year,”… or perhaps, “Picture of the Decade.” It won’t be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the U.S. paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.
The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother’s womb. Little Samuel’s mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner’s remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.
During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon’s finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.
The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, “Hand of Hope.” The text explaining the picture begins, “The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother’s uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.”
Little Samuel’s mother said they “wept for days” when they saw the picture. She said, “The photo reminds us pregnancy isn’t about disability or an illness, it’s about a little person.” Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome…incredible….and hey, pass it on! The world needs to see this one.

(Source: staygoldseventeen)