Most of us are “optimists” at heart. The glass is “half full” vs “half empty.” We would prefer to provide encouragement vs pessimism. That said, there may actually be times where an “internal optimist” and an “internal pessimist” can collaborate their respective outlooks for a greater.
For example, by definition, an optimist always prepares you for the “best possible outcome.” It is motivating, inspirational, inspiring, etc. What happens when those positive outcomes are not achieved? Many times there are feelings of stress, disappointment, and resentment that were not prepared or planned for in advance when negative elements happen to people. That is where a pessimist can sometimes be very helpful. A pessimist by design always looks at things in the bleakest and most negative manner. That said, they are many times NOT expecting anything but the worst, so when a negative occurs, their mental preparation has allowed them to not be as devastated or disappointed.
I am not saying that everyone should be pessimistic vs optimistic. By nature, I am very much a “glass is half full” kind of person. However, it is sometimes very supportive to have a somewhat “pessimistic” person in your life that can mentally prepare and challenge you when there are outcomes that do not reach expectations.
A “balanced approach” with some parts optimism and some parts pessimism might just be the perfect recipe to keep us sane…
That’s the bottomline…
“Change…Part Nature…Part Opportunity”