My “glass half full” optimism — a defect?

A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties – Harry Truman

“Every cloud has a silver lining;” “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade;” “the glass is half full;” “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel;” “things could always be worse…” These are all idioms that represent a positive outlook, also known as optimism.  I came across some information about a very interesting study, which looked into some of the areas located in the front of the brain that are involved in formulating thoughts which we come to know as optimism.

I’m a “glass-half-full” kind of guy, personally.  After being through the traumatic loss of my mom in a car accident, suffering through a major depression, gaining one hundred pounds, making it through college and a rigorous course of study in chiropractic college, and other trying times and life experiences, I try to take everything into perspective.  I’ve already been through a lot, so while it’s not impossible, it would take a heck of a lot for something to register as majorly “bad” in my life at this point.  Keeping things in relative perspective, much of the negative experiences I face these days are merely “bumps in the road” along the path of life.  “It could be worse,” is a common phrase I use while maintaining this sense of perspective.

So, needless to say, I was surprised to find out that my “glass-half-full” outlook may be considered to be a “defect” of the workings of the brain.  The good news is that most of us are “defective” (which begs the question: If we’re all “defective,” then wouldn’t that be considered “normal?”  Anyway…).  The research suggests that we are wired to view the world through “rose-colored glasses.”  My personal take on this finding is that we really need to be optimistic.  If we spent our time obsessing over the fact that we will die one day, that we (for those who are married or have a significant other) may experience the loss of our loved one(s), that we may end up with cancer and die a horrible death, that we may experience any host of unpleasant experiences and the like, we would develop significant stress and anxiety.  How could we live day to day thinking obsessively about death and suffering?  We couldn’t — or at least we couldn’t very well.  The downside to this type of thinking, however, is that we become more risky or underestimate the negative consequences of certain actions or events that we embark upon.

All things considered, I’ll take my “defective” thinking, and remain on the “glass half full” side of things.  After all, when I face an accusation from another that my mind isn’t quite right, now I have the documentation to support that they are correct! 🙂  If I have the choice, I will choose to believe that there is always a solution out there to every problem.  If I have the choice, I am going to choose to empower myself to inspire others.  I’m not going to wallow in self pity or worry about what may be around the corner.  I would rather focus on the positive, and enjoy continual consideration of the possibilities that lie ahead!

Have a great day!

-Victor

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