No matter how hard I try to be sucked into the pull of
pessimism, I continually return to my optimistic roots. Some may consider it a
curse to always be positive; but, being an optimist, of course I consider it a
blessing. The pessimist is an odd creature—always seeing the dirt on the floor
instead of seeing the beauty of the hardwood panels. Pessimism is the path of
least resistance:
“Surely death
grabs us all in the end. Possessions rust and fade away. Your love ones will probably
die before you, so why waste time giving them your affection. The Earth will
surely crash into the Sun in a couple of billion years, so why bother.”
But the optimist can always see a way out. They can view an
inspiring sunrise or sunset instead of only seeing a smoggy downtown skyline or
a repetitive suburban yardscape. Most of all, they know that changing oneself
for the better is not fleeting. In fact, it is one of the noblest things one
can do. Even as the path of least resistance leads to the inevitable stagnation
that comes with a lack of change, climbing the seemingly impossible rocky path
of struggle pushes you to heights that you never thought were possible:
“I can be
in the best physical shape of my life in six months. I can take that leadership
position and learn how to distill some inkling of a leader within me that I
always doubted existed. It doesn’t matter that you started this game in the
second half of your life…you can play ball with the big boys and drive yourself
into new levels of responsibility.”
Being an optimist is a struggle because some days it seems it
would be so much easier to slide into the no man’s land of despair. But seeing
the good and the practical in every situation is a gift that should be shared.
You will never convert the pessimist, but you might show him a better way and
make him long for the hope that you effortlessly exude in every situation. The
optimist’s struggle is worth every minute of positivity. So take a deep breath
and exhale. There is another chance tomorrow to fight off the stench of
negativity:
“I am
confident that I can lose this weight and be in the best shape of my life. I
may not be as much of a natural leader as many that seem to be born with those
skills, but I am learning and growing every day into some form of leader that
only the person in my skin can represent. I will meet this challenge head on
and show others that traveling the treacherous path to success is always worth
the struggle.”
