The Pessimist and the Optimist

This thought is inspired by a great and inspirational leader, Winston Churchill. Well known for his resilient and positive perspective, he is known for the quote  “The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Every single day and in everything you encounter, you are making choices about how you perceive things to be. Things are not inherently good or bad, they are as they are, we are the ones who assign meaning to it. It’s the glass half full approach - The pessimist looks to see how much is already gone, and the optimist looks to see how much is left. It’s the exact same amount being perceived in two entirely different ways.

Obviously the preferred approach is to be the optimist. Our lives are so much richer when we choose to see the positivity and possibility around us, but this contradicts the negativity detecting beings we were evolutionarily designed to be. Like anything, overcoming our nature and being an optimist takes practice. It requires gratitude even when you don’t feel like it. It takes consistent mindfulness upon receiving the privileges we take for granted. And it asks you to see the silver lining in situations that are far from ideal. 

It’s not going to happen over night, but with the intention to grow in that way you can replace the pessimist who sees the difficulty in every opportunity to  become the optimist who sees the opportunity in every difficulty.