I like to think of myself as an optimistic person, yet I know that people that work with me, might think that’s not true, because when planning for something I will come up with all sorts of crazy scenarios that might happen. And I plan for them.
I guess a more precise definition would be I am an Optimistic Realist. I have seen it over and over again, when we are excited about something, we tend to focus only on the good aspects of it, and don’t even want to consider that something might not go according to the plan. The concept of “don’t jinx it” by considering what can go wrong, has been instilled in most of us. And yet, ‘Murphy’ always shows up, in a small way or a big one.
I will never forget the face of my hairdresser, a couple of weeks before I got married when he saw me reading a book called DIVORCE. “Are you nuts?” He shouted at me, in his usual overdramatic way. Makes me smile just to think about it, 13 years later and still in a happy marriage. Why would I read a book about Divorce, after I’m already divorced? I read it before so that I could become aware of things I probably can’t consider because it is an experience I have never been through.
Learning from other people’s challenges and learned lessons provides a ‘fast track” to being able to identify the red flags and a different perspective on how to deal with them.
Somehow we believe that we are the exception to the rule. “That will never happen to me”. And we let that mindset set the course and do our planning. That, in my opinion, is a huge gamble.
When I use to read the PANDEMIC clause in a contract I would always skim through it, well, not anymore. A lot of businesses got into a lot of trouble for considering the scenario we are living today, a far-fetched situation.
Dear Leticia,
Super essay. Also ‘optimistic realist’. Just love that phrase! It takes no effort to plough on regardless, subconsciously discounting any negative points. With reality there is a balance, for ‘reality’ tends to give a negative impression. Adding ‘optimistic’ balances the concept. So an optimist will tend to be aware of reality, but won’t let t stand in the way of achieving a goal, even though being driven by the overwhelming power of positivity.
Simon