There are two basic and very broad views on life; optimistic and pessimistic. Optimists are the people who think “the glass is half full” and pessimists think “the glass is half empty”. Optimists look at the positive side of every situation and have been proven to live longer lives than pessimists, whom look at the negatives and rationalize every situation. Relationships, school, and work are all taken with two different approaches by both optimists and pessimists.
Relationships with family members, friends or a significant other are often approached in ways that contrast by pessimists and optimists. A pessimist’s relationship with his or her family might be one of scheduled visits mainly on Holidays or very little contact or reason to spend time with one’s family. Because, time is of the essence and should be spent moving forward, planning and preparing for what’s coming next in the eyes of a pessimist. An optimist might view family as something to cherish, to have listed higher amongst their priorities than a pessimist. A friendship carried on by a pessimist is more than likely a dull and often constant effort to make that person feel as if they are not worthless. An optimist leans more towards listening and having fun. Getting out and up for anything spur the moment, instead of questioning and rationalizing are the ways optimists tend to act. Dating in the mind of a pessimist means holding on to mistakes, being paranoid for the next ones, and not letting them get emotionally attached to avoid getting hurt. An optimist sees dating as an opportunity to get close to someone and take a chance with trusting someone. When talking about relationships there are very few if any comparison between optimists and pessimists, they are mostly contrasting discussions.
An optimist in school is often the kid who “doesn’t know” what they got on their test vs. the pessimist who might be the kid going “I know I failed”. When graduation rolls around the optimist is thinking about taking a year off from school to think about what they want to do and the pessimist is thinking if they don’t get into a top notch college their life is going to fall apart. Pessimists tend to stress more over the minuscule details in school when optimists do the best they can and are happy with what they get. Staying up late studying is a trait that a pessimist might carry rather than an optimist. Optimists are not lethargic when it comes to school but more confident in their knowledge on the subjects they are tested on.
Work is another area approached in contrasting ways by the average pessimist and optimist. The work ethic of an optimist is probably a more confident one with more joy in the job they are doing than a pessimist. Fraught with little assurance in their job are the typical pessimists’ outlooks on work. Pessimists tend to look at work as a burden of stress; while optimists look at work as a way to perfect a trade they enjoy doing. Also, an optimist is more likely to choose a job that they take pride in rather than choosing a job that pays higher but is a stick in the side which is what a pessimist would probably choose.
All in all, pessimist and optimist mainly contrast in they way they approach most aspects of life. Relationships, school and work are all taken on with different views and attitudes. Pessimists tend to look at the negatives of everything, rationalize, stress, and have little confidence. Optimists on the other hand, are happy, with more assurance, open to taking chances, and make the best out of what they are given. Optimists have been proven to live longer, healthier lives than pessimists do.
