The Danger of Excessive Optimism
I have been called a pessimist. I prefer to think of myself as a realist. When I consider it seriously, however, I often find that I’m more optimistic about results than realism allows.
From time to time, I’m told that if I was just more positive about everything, that “everything” would tend to go much better. Think positively! Watch the good results.
I was delighted to find an article titled The Trap of Being Unrealistic.
A quote:
When we’re being unrealistic, we get in our own way and set ourselves up for failure, frustration, and self-criticism. We diminish our happiness and strain our relationships, building resentment.
The Trap of Being Unrealistic
You can harm yourself by being too negative. But you can also harm yourself (and others) by being unrealistically positive. Give it a read. There’s some really good advice there!
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
There’s also the effect on how people regard your confidence. I’ve noted there are some who always speak confidently, whether or not that confidence is warranted. In the short term, it tends to cause people to trust what you’re saying. In the long term, however, people eventually notice that confidence with which you speak does not correspond with the likelihood that what you’ve said comes to pass. They then will regard your every utterance with doubt and suspicion.