For many people, optimism has different values and this comes with a number of myths that I’m going to talk about.
When I decided to add the word ‘optimist’ right next to my name, I did it because I wanted to brand myself. But over the years I’ve discovered that people see optimism differently than I do and what others see is somehow wrong and has nothing to do with what is actually happening.
Therefore, I decided to talk about some of the myths that I’ve discovered until now.
1. My optimism makes you smarter
Actually, it doesn’t.
If I’m an optimist it doesn’t mean that I have to excuse how many mistakes you make. If you do something wrong, you have to take responsibility and not use my optimism as some magic pill that can just erase the bad things that you do.
It doesn’t mean that optimists focus on what others do badly and punish them. On the contrary, we focus on alternatives when it comes to overcoming obstacles.
With that being said, stop thinking that others’ optimism is a solution to your problems and become responsible for whatever you decide to do.
2. For optimists everything is positive
If I’m an optimist it doesn’t mean that everything is positive. It isn’t.
We just choose not to give attention to what’s negative.
There’s this question that I love because I’ve never been able to answer it: What are the mistakes you made and you would like to change?
It doesn’t mean that I don’t make mistakes, I just never keep track of them and, after a while, I forget about them. I believe my life has a bigger purpose than just focusing on two directions that have nothing to do with my future goals: my past and my mistakes.
3. Optimists don’t struggle at all
Optimists struggle as much as everyone else. Sometimes even more and that’s because we believe that achieving something is a process based on a lot of pragmatism.
Most people, when they hear optimism, they think of dreamers. But there are some specific differences between optimists and dreamers.
First of all, optimists are more doers than thinkers. Second, optimists tend to act more with a plan than in a spontaneous manner. Third, the most obvious one, it’s in the dreamers’ name – they dream more about what they want to achieve.
When you approach things with a lot of pragmatism and you want to see it shifting from your vision to your reality, you’ll struggle more than anyone out there who doesn’t even have a plan.
4. My optimism is about everyone else
No, no way! My optimism is only about myself and I feel like this is one of the biggest myths out there.
I don’t have to see the positive aspects of your life. If you’re lazy and you can’t do shit about it, then that’s how it is.
My optimism is strictly about myself, my mission, and my purpose. What you do and what you think is entirely your responsibility and you have to improve it.
With love and optimism,
David
