I Am Not An Optimist

I’ve stopped thinking of myself as an optimist. That will surprise those who know my work, but there it is.

I am prompted to share this because of a thoughtful-as-always post by Jean Russell, wherein she reflects on the power of positive thinking.

To which I will share that I also no longer believe in the power of positive thinking.

Here is what I DO believe: I believe in the power of PRACTICAL thinking. And from that, I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I am simply a pragmatist.

Focusing on how badly life sucks is simply impractical for moving forward to create anything of use. That’s not a positive or negative statement. It’s neither optimistic nor pessimistic. It’s just practical.

The only practical way to move forward is to move forward. So we can label that as “positive” or “optimistic” or “Pollyanna.”  Or we can simply say, “I’m moving forward. The train is leaving the station. Want to come along?”

Unless something is physically impossible, it is possible.

We can either move forward or stand still.

That’s not about optimism. It’s not about positive thinking. It’s just reality – practical, pragmatic reality.

I’m moving forward. Want to come along?