“If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside.” – Unknown
Are you an optimist, pessimist or a realist? This may sound very straightforward but there’s a lot more to it.
The optimist is someone who has a positive outlook on life. This is someone who is not swallowed by past challenges and even the current ones because, in them, there’s a feeling that this will pass and that the good times are coming because life is good after all. The extreme on this is equally dangerous. This extreme I am referring to here is optimism that is divorced from reality, believing that a dead horse will wake up and live again.
A pessimist is someone who has a negative outlook on life. This is someone who always sees bad in every good situation and finds fault in every situation and people. They don’t see themselves as worthy and cannot congratulate themselves and other people. They just live for today and are grumpy. I once asked a guy in his twenties as to where he saw himself in five years and this is what he said, “Five years is a long time. I am driving a taxi and I am exposed to lots of dangers on the road every day. I don’t think I’ll still be alive in five years.” Wow, this answer really left me traumatised. This is pessimism at its best.
Lastly, there’s a realist. This one here always tries to balance the two and see life for what it is. If it’s raining in the morning and it looks overcast, it’s possible that it may rain the whole day, so take your umbrella with you. That’s being realistic. The realist understands pretty well that the scars of the past cannot be removed but can always be used as a reminder that in spite of all the challenges, you survived.
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