The split between optimists and pessimists is pretty much night and day. Optimists generally approach life with a positive outlook, while pessimists tend to expect the worst. Optimists go into new situations with high expectations, while pessimists keep low expectations to prepare for negative outcomes.
Nothing illustrates the divide between optimists and pessimists quite so accurately as this illustration from Owl Turd Comix.
To be fair, pessimists aren’t ALL doom and gloom. As Pulitzer-prize winning political commentator George Will once put it, “The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
While a pessimistic outlook may become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as illustrated above, pessimists are well-equipped to handle life’s downturns. After all, they do spend their lives preparing for the worst.
And don’t worry about the optimist in the comic: true optimists don’t mind failure. When life knocks them down, they get right back up and try again. Optimists know that things won’t always go their way, but they don’t expend energy anticipating negative outcomes.
No matter who you are, chances are you’ll see a little of yourself in this comic.
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