On pessimism
I am a self-proclaimed pessimist. People around me says so, and at some point I had to agree.
That bothered me when I was younger, I tried to change and failed every time. At some point, I decided to accept it and try to make this personality trait useful.
This is how I experience pessimism:
- I easily see the negative/bad side of things/situations. Seeing the positive/good side demands some effort.
- I always consider the worst case scenario in every situation.
- I think there are more negative/bad than positive/good in every thing/situation. Also, I tend to believe the worst case scenario is more likely than some best case scenario. Simply put, my view is skewed.
This is what have tried so far to compensate and make use of my pessimism:
- After looking at the negative/bad side, I try to look at the other side of each situation, acknowledge the positive/good and communicate it in one way or another.
- I work on a plan for the worst case scenario and then, try not to worry about it any more. If such a scenario actually happens, I am prepared.
- I try to keep in mind that my view is skewed in every situation. I ask the people I trust about their views as a way to compensate my own biases.
One disadvantage of being pessimist is that people feel repelled by it; one tend to be somewhat more lonely. Well, now that I think about it, loneliness has its advantages too.