Optimism is a Decision

I had a conversation about optimism with a friend recently, which made me think about what it means to me. Optimists often get a bad rep for being dreamers; they’re naive and unrealistic. This is a great mischaracterization. Optimism isn’t something people inherently have.

Optimism is work.

It requires emotional intelligence and discipline. It’s trained; it doesn’t come naturally.

Optimism is a decision.

Optimism is when you really don’t want to do that one thing, but you do it anyway, because you know it will be worth it in the end. Optimism is when you had the most piece of shit day, but still find something to smile about. Optimism is when you feel like you can’t keep going, but you find a reason to push forward.

The most interesting, inspiring, optimistic people I know intentionally seek out joy in their day-to-day life. They look for things to be grateful for, even when (especially when) things get tough. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows — optimistic people still have bad days; they still feel vulnerable; they still feel shame. They’re just like anyone else. But they do the work. It isn’t fake; they don’t run away from it. They do the fucking work.