Community Chat

[ladyroxanne]

i'm an optimist by nature.  i know some people, not many, thank heavens who are not. 

being around them is such a downer and i have always thought how unhappy they must be and how lucky i am.

[ladyroxanne]

@Pruett

in answer to your question who is optimistic versus pessimistic and why, my answer would be we're taught what we've been raised to believe and  i think it may also be hereditary.  life experiences also probably play a part.

[suzyQ3]

We're all answering this question based on our own definitions of the terms.

So I'll go along and say that I am a humorous pessimist and that nothing grates on me more than pithy sentiments and bumper-sticker validations.

Oh, and hi there, chickybutt, a.k.a. @chickenbutt

[itiswhatitis]

realistnoun

1.

a person who tends to view or represent things as they really are.

2.

an artist or a writer whose work is characterized by realism.

3.

Philosophy. an adherent of realism.

A true realist definition. 

[DiAnne]

I try to be optimistic and I like to be around optimistic people but that is getting more difficult lately (don't know if it is the current world problems or that people just get pessimistic with age).  I also have a realistic view of life.  I have worked hard to get where I am in life and it has not been all rainbows but I know many are worse off then I am. 

[IamMrsG]

I am an optimist by faith.  

The best tip I can offer for staying out of 'the dumps', is to be grateful.  At the end of every day list 3 things, no matter how seemingly small or inconsequential, for which you can say Thank You.  Before long, you will find your eyes open throughout the day to the wonder in your life.  It truly is  life altering.

[Moonchilde]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

We're all answering this question based on our own definitions of the terms.

So I'll go along and say that I am a humorous pessimist and that nothing grates on me more than pithy sentiments and bumper-sticker validations.

Oh, and hi there, chickybutt, a.k.a. @chickenbutt

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@suzyQ3 You iz a woman after me own heart.

[itiswhatitis]

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@IamMrsG wrote:

I am an optimist by faith.  

The best tip I can offer for staying out of 'the dumps', is to be grateful.  At the end of every day list 3 things, no matter how seemingly small or inconsequential, for which you can say Thank You.  Before long, you will find your eyes open throughout the day to the wonder in your life.  It truly is  life altering.

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I agree with this @IamMrsG.  Another would be "humility."

[on the bay]

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@IamMrsG wrote:

I am an optimist by faith.  

The best tip I can offer for staying out of 'the dumps', is to be grateful.  At the end of every day list 3 things, no matter how seemingly small or inconsequential, for which you can say Thank You.  Before long, you will find your eyes open throughout the day to the wonder in your life.  It truly is  life altering.

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@IamMrsG-

My daughter has done this for a year and said it has really changed how she feels (in good ways)

I thought at first well that sounds kind of cheesy but it alters how we view our days or what we focus on.

Sitting outside with nature is what really helps me too to appreciate.

[Cakers3]

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@Trinity11 wrote:

Optimist...although I think I am a realist too. I know when to realize there isn't always a light at the end of the tunnel..

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@Trinity11  Agree.

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel may just be the headlight on the front of the train coming at you, too.

Seriously, finding a balance between what can be changed and what cannot be changed is the difference between being hopeful/optimistic and being disheartened/pessimistic.

I guess the serenity prayer comes in handy if I'm allowed to say so.