Inspiration and Life
The 3 ‘isms in Your Life
How you can measure your pessoptimism
Like many people, I’m a natural introvert with pessimistic tendencies. I prefer to live in a different land than some. Most people who know me well would not guess I once leaned heavily toward the negative.
As I aged, I shifted more toward the middle of being optimistic and pessimistic. Some refer to this middle ground as the land of reality.
“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be.” George Carlin (1937–2008)
Because someone identifies as pessimistic or optimistic, it does not mean they are always one or the other. On the contrary, it is normal for people to swing from one side to the other.
Let’s look at what it means to be a pessimist and an optimist. Each has advantages and disadvantages, which is why many of us strive for the middle ground. A relatively new term defines this middle ground — pessoptimist.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill (1874–1965)
