Realists, Optimists, & Pessimists, Oh My!
Where are you on the mindset spectrum?
Good Morning!
Welcome to the first Monday edition of “Daily Self.” Thanks for being here, and for contributing your energy to the community that’s being built around this newsletter. Today’s newsletter includes…
Morning Microdose: Realists, Optimists, and Pessimists, Oh My!
Myth of the Day: Optimists are always happy and never experience negative emotions
Action Item: Daily moment focus on an optimistic vs realistic point of view
(1) Morning Microdose
Realists, Optimists, and Pessimists, Oh My!
This Substack was originally named “Self-care for Realists” because I’m a pragmatic, straightforward person who really loves reading books about self-improvement and self-care. Whenever I read a book on these topics, I dismiss the “woo” stuff until I get to the logic and evidence that proves whether the author’s hypothesis is true or false. To me, that meant I was a “realist.” But then I looked up the definition of a realist and came to the conclusion that it’s totally impractical.
A realist is a person who judges things without any bias. They don't view things as good or bad, but rather observe them as they are. A realist is uninfluenced by optimistic and pessimistic views.
If you are always trying to live in a way where you are unbiased about events and decisions presented to you, how can you continue to grow and evolve as a person? Growing and evolving come from failing and learning, and I don’t know anyone who has a completely unbiased reaction to failing. e.g. “Well, I lost $25,000 in Bitcoin. What’s for dinner tonight?”
All the self-improvement books that I’ve read over the years, combined with inspirational memoirs like those from Nims Purja and David Goggins, talk about the power of the mind and how pivoting from a negative mindset (pessimistic point of view) to a positive mindset (optimistic point of view) can move mountains.
From an optimistic point of view, anything is possible. The optimistic may say: “I’m a nobody, coming from nothing, and I know it’s going to be hard, but I will make my dreams come true.”
From a negative point of view, nothing is possible. The pessimist may say: “It matters that I’m a nobody, coming from nothing, and it’s going to be too hard to get past that; so I won’t amount to anything in life.”
The realist just sits in the middle saying “I will accept whatever I’m presented with. Merp.”
Which view do you find most inspiring? And what do you think others find most inspiring?
It’s ok to be realistic about things—not all things in life are within our reach for various reasons. I’ll never play basketball in the NBA. Totally ok with that. But I can be a realistic optimist who has life experiences, accepts them for what they are, and chooses to move forward with positive intentions.
Hence, you are reading “Daily Self,” rather than “Self-care for Realists.” My intention for you, as well as for the future of the newsletter, is that together we’ll take steps to cultivate positive mindsets, nourish our mental and emotional well-being, and grow on a personal level.
(2) Myth of the Day
Optimists are always happy and never experience negative emotions.
Quite the contrary, optimists recognize that life has its ups and downs, but still choose to focus on the positives. They understand that failure can be an opportunity for learning and growth, rather than a cause for shame or despair.
Remember, acknowledging mistakes can be the first step toward finding solutions. By recognizing our failures and shortcomings, we can find ways to make progress and improve our future outcomes.
(3) Action Item
During your daily moment, think about a time when you had a life experience that you were very “realistic” about. How did that experience unfold?
Now, consider what could have happened if you had looked at it from an optimistic point of view. Would your positive way of looking at it have made the experience unfold any differently?
Liked what you read? Stick around and share with a friend. See you tomorrow!