Optimism can be dangerous if not handled properly

Are you so enthralled by your optimism that it prevents you from achieving meaningful progress in your personal and professional life? Is it possible that the very fact that you are so optimistic about the future is a liability rather than an asset? It might all come down to whether or not you are making the greatest possible use of your existing situation or not.

Optimism is defined as the inclination to anticipate the best possible result or to focus on the most promising features of a given circumstance. Take, for example, Oscar Wilde's famous and highly practical observation: "The optimist sees the doughnut, and the pessimist sees the hole!" Optimism has always struck me as a positive trait and one that everyone should strive to possess or cultivate in themselves. Despite the fact that this idea is still legitimate, I have lately realized that it may have just as negative an impact as pessimism if it is not managed appropriately.

So it is with the majority of optimists and dreamers at some point in their life. They think that this year would be the year that their aspirations come true, but each year comes and goes without them realizing it. After that, it's the next year, and the cycle begins all over again. Similarly, the Bible teaches in Proverbs that "hope postponed makes the heart ill; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life" (Proverbs 21:5). In this way, with each passing year that our aspirations and goals do not come true, our hearts get more and more crushed until we ultimately give up on our dreams and on life itself.

You should always assume that things will work out in the end, but you should also recognize that it is ultimately up to you to ensure that things work out in the end. Therefore, without your assistance, things will not turn out as they should. When you realize the difference between where you are now and where you want to go, it is the only way for you to intervene and know what to do.

In order to evaluate your present condition with respect to your desire, you must be completely honest with yourself. Is there anything you're doing right now that will help you go one step closer to your goal a year from now? Is your existing reality in sync with your desired future state of affairs? Consider the following illustration: For example, there may be two persons who both own a firm and both desire to earn a million dollars in the next twelve months.

One may just continue running the company in the manner in which it is now functioning and hope that things would improve in a year's time and that he will somehow have more business. He would be the epitome of the eternal optimist. The other will do an analysis of his company, identify its shortcomings, and make improvements to his services and goods in order to achieve his goal. Who has a better chance of succeeding? It is more probable that the person who confronted the hard reality of his or her company and made the required changes would prosper.

If you are an optimist, you have already accomplished half of your goal. Just take care of the rest. If you are a pessimist, your road will be a little more difficult but not insurmountable. Keep in mind that it is preferable to be an optimist who is sometimes incorrect than a pessimist who is always correct. Learn from great leaders like Norman Vincent Peale, who suggests that you "throwback the shoulders, let the heart sing, let the eyes shine, let the mind be lifted up, gaze upward, and say to yourself...." Nothing is out of the question!

You are the best version of yourself. Don't be afraid to be yourself.