I'm mostly an optimist. I am enthusiastic. Sometimes I'm a pessimist. I'm still enthusiastic.
Somehow in our culture optimism and enthusiasm have become linked. They are not the same.
Sometimes when life hands you a lemon, it's a lemon. It's at that point you take your enthusiasms and make whatever you can from that. Sometimes it's crushing, sometimes it's over the fish and sometimes it's a rotten lemon. Attack. Don't moan about the lousy lemon life handed you. Move on.
I have known too many people, good people, who were optimistic about everything. They believed that is there is a pile of poop there has to be a pony in there somewhere. Sometimes it's just a pile of poop.
Too much unbalanced optimism, even when disguised as faith ends up being shipwreck. I am a man of Faith. Great faith. But I also make certain that I assess the situation for what it really is. Sometimes that assessment sounds pessimistic.
When I see a situation and it sounds pessimistic my reaction is to attack. The net question is, what is the worst that could possibly happen in this situation. I mean disaster. Lemons. Bad. Terrible. Awful. Am I prepared to accept the worst? What can I do with enthusiasm to possibly make it better.
That is the net difference between enthusiasm and optimism. Be enthusiastic but let your pessimistic side shine thru and then attack. Settling for less is being unrealistically optimistic. It means you are forever frozen in an unfulfilled future time. Sure this year stunk but wait'll next year.
Cubs fans are optimistic. Bears fan's are enthusiastic realists and just a little pessimistic.
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