Just You Wait

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.”