Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Friday, March 4, 2011

Let's Talk Fridays: Are you an Optimist or Pessimist????

This proved a little harder than I thought it would  be.  For you see, I've always considered myself an Optimist... I try to think of the glass as being half-full rather than half-empty.   BUT--there are times when I certainly feel pessimistic about things...  Maybe we all have a little pessimism in us --whether we want to admit it or not...  I certainly am pessimistic about the price of gas,  the cost of food,  and our country in general right now.   Here are some quotes about Optimism vs. Pessimism --along with some images I chose from the internet...





"Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster.  It's a Cha-Cha."-Robert Brault





"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."  -Harry Truman





"A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes;  a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs;  an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all--he's walking on them."- Leonard Louis Levinson





"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society.  The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute."  -Gil Stern





"If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator,  he might say, in a pleasant and hopeful voice,  'Well,  this isn't too bad.  I don't have my left arm anymore,  but at least nobody will ever ask me whether I am right-handed or left-handed.'  BUT most of us would say something more along the lines of 'Aaaaaah!  My arm! My arm!'" -Lemony Snicket





Finally,   here's a great quote from Winston Churchill:  "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;  an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

I guess --when it all comes down to it--I am not as much of an optimist as I wish I were....  Now---what say YOU?  Are you an Optimist or a Pessimist????? Why or why not????

Hugs,

71 comments:

Deb Murphree/Alabama Politics said...

Hi Betsy...I needed something to cheer me up today :) I am an OPTIMIST...worried today about my friend's son, Lance Anthony Haston, who has been missing since Wednesday, at school closing. If you have any friends that might like to repost...you can go to my webpage, and his picture and data about his description is there. Please tell your friends to be on the alert for this young man. Thanks so much Betsy! I love ya.

Anonymous said...

I must be an optimist. I see the best side in most things but there are things I am pessimistic about. I think people dominating politics these days are more pessimistic than optimistic. I don't see the red underline under pessimistic or optimistic so I am grateful for something else.

Beth said...

Betsy, I recently used the Winston Churchill quote for a journal prompt. At least once a week, I give them a choice of two quotes to write about. I pick ones that encourage and show the authors to be optimists.
So, yes, I'm an optimist. Once in a long while I falter, but it was instilled in me to believe the best, so usually I do.
I enjoyed your comics.

The Retired One said...

I have always been a "the glass is half full" kind of gal....it drives my loved ones crazy. But in truth, it has kept me sane. I have always found that if you sit back and give the situation a bit of time, it is never as bad as it first seems. Or if it is, by then, you have had time to think of a plan to move forward. Color me an optimist~ LOL

Ruth Hiebert said...

I would have always said that i am an optimist,but in the last while pessimism has crept to the fore.Mostly I think I'm a realist.This is what it is and i have to deal with it.Having said that ,dealing with it is often harder than I thought it would be.
Have a great weekend.

June said...

Most people would say I am an optimist.
I, however, know that in my deepest heart, there lurks a big wide streak of pessimism.
The result is that I keep whistling in the dark, to keep the fear at bay.

So which is THAT?

pam said...

I am a realistic optimist.

Out on the prairie said...

Optimism offers us opportunity, so why shrug off happiness.

Arkansas Patti said...

I am an optimist though the world situation does make it hard work these days to see the positive.
My favorite "Brault" on optimism is:

"An optimist is someone who believes that good things come in threes -- and cockroaches come in ones." Robert Brault

Now I am off to Deb's post to see if I can help.

mamahasspoken said...

My personal motto is:
Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.
Guess that makes me an optimist unless it's a bad day, so I'm a fip flopper :o/

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Betsy, I think we all have a bit of both. Maybe concern is being interpreted as pessimism when it comes to the state of our country. I've always found that being around young people feeds my optimistic side more than anything...Our young adults are so smart and mature, it's amazing!!!

Joe Todd said...

Another way to look at it::::
Please read this poem carefully – one line at a time. No skimming or going ahead!! You’ll miss out if you do.

Lost Generation
I realize this may be a shock but
'Happiness comes from within'
is a lie;
'Money will make me happy'
So in thirty years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life.
My employers will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
this is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
Thirty years from now I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.
And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.

--Jonathan Reed, 2007

Now read each line, starting from the last line to the first line (reverse it).

Tracy said...

Good post Betsy...I am definitely an optimist~ plain and simple. That doesn't mean I don't have down /moments when things seem grim, but eternall the optimist~

Paige Thomas King said...

Betsy,
I just did a pollyanna post myself (about a week ago: http://hodgepodge-home.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-defense-of-pollyanna.html). I find that people truly want to be positive about life--I try to help.
There is nothing better than laughter, family and great friends to help you through the low points.

MadSnapper said...

by reading all of this i am 100 percent pessimist, but i don't see it that way, i say i am a realist and see things the way there ARE like REALLY not the old happy happy everything is good like my husband is, i see what is really going to happen he ignores it and trips happily on his way as supreme optimist

Darla said...

I personally feel the weight of staying on the positive side of things...if not, my family would fall apart....inside my stomach has swirls of butterflies from time to time...such is the role of being a Mom. Good post.

Lady Di Tn said...

That is a good thought provoking post. I am an Optimist until I turn on the daily news, then I quickly become a Pessimist. In truth, we all have both within us it is the ones who let the other rule that I worry about. Peace

amy @ Life in Pink Hi-Tops said...

I LOVE all those quotes. I've always considered myself a pessimist. I like to call it being a realist. But really, it's not that fun! I think I'd like to be a little bit more optimistic. Just a little bit. Not too much because then people might think the Amy they know got abducted by aliens! :)

I Am Woody said...

The face I put out for all to see is most certainly an optimist. But the deep, dark, hidden side is pessimist central!

And in situations where a decision must be made, I do have the tendency to play 'devils advocate'. Not from being pessimistic, more from wanting to examine all possibilities and limit any possible surprises.

Richard said...

Used to be more of a pessimist but now I'm all optimist except when it comes to the growing evil in this world.

Small City Scenes said...

I am 'mostly' an optimist and I like the Daniel reardon quote best. MB

Shug said...

Good Post Betsy....I am most definitely an OPTIMIST! I could not be the person that I am today if I were not an optimist. My side of the family knows Tragedy all too well. But...many years ago, there was an elderly lady at our church that told me to give all the heaviness in my heart to God and He would give me Peace. She also told me to start Blessing people with my actions and my words and by doing so, My eyes would be opened to all the goodness that surrounds me...This is exactly what I have done and I see each new day in a completely different light. My husband is a "realistic opitimist" and this is good too.
My one motto is "Enjoy the Blessings of THIS day".....I must write this or say this a hundred or more times a week!

Be Blessed today and thank you for your post!
Hugs,
Shug

Connie said...

Fun post, Betsy. I try to be an optimist as much as I can, but I'm not always successful.

Have a nice weekend. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm a realistic optimist!

Rose said...

I was going to say I am an optimists who prepares for the worst...that alone tells you I am a bit of a pessimist....not near as bad as some I have known though. So maybe I should say I am an optimist with some pessimistic leanings.

Diane said...

I'm still laughing about Lemony Snicket. I'm an optimist, my mottos are from the Bible - "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world" and "This is the day the Lord hath made, let us be glad and rejoice in it". Sometimes situations make me very sad though, like the deer. I happen to be be married to a pessimist and that's hard.

Sunny said...

At one time I was a full fledged optimist but now, through no fault of my own, I have become a pessimistic optimist!
Have a delightful weekend!
☼ Sunny

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, I am an optimistic happy gal who loves her life and loves FFG! Have a super nice day today!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I love these quotations, Betsy! I'd say I'm more optimist than pessimist, but there's a little of both here.

Unknown said...

I am an optimist. When I wake up in the morning, I always tell myself "Today, I decided to be happy and I will not allow anything to make me feel bad." But sometimes, something bad happens and so I would count 1 to 10 before I say anything. And before I reach 10, I feel better. Everything happens for a reason. So make the most of everyday.

This is a very nice post, Betsy!

Busy Bee Suz said...

I am a little bit of both....but hopefully my MOST optimist side shows through.
Have a great weekend!!!

Neal said...

I think a lot of people would call me a pessimist but I think I'm more of a realist. The glass is half full or half empty say the same thing to me and I don't look at either one as being an optimist or a pessimist. Like you I am very pessimistic about the way the country is going but I think I have a right to be. I'm not very optimistic that our politicians will be anything constructive. I'm a very analytical person and normally don't look at things too emotionally.

Anonymous said...

it's hard to be pessimistic about anything on your page when it looks like Easter! ;0

Fred Alton said...

Optimistic, I think. I try to set my "flaps" each morning so that my attitude is right. Then if I can get up to speed, I'll take off. I heard this quote long ago and have tried to apply it to my lifestyle: "Your attitude determines your altitude." It's certainly true for a pilot.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Don't get me started!!! To the world and my friends, I am the biggest cheerleader and optimist! I love to build people up and make them feel good, and try to find something good about the bleakest situation. But one day my DIL was upset about something, and everything she said, I said something kind of the opposite, to make her feel better. She finally said to me "Stop it, Ginny! I know you try to make the best of things, but you are in your deacon mode now, and I just need you to be sad with me!" Wow, I learned a lot that day. Sometimes we can take optimissem too far, and people just want us to sit with them or cry with them, and acknowledge how bad things really are. Having dsaid all that, privately I am the worst pessimist, as Phil will tell you. Where do you come up with these questions?

Karin said...

Great question! It is my opinion that I’m a realist – cautiously positive and optimistic with reasonable expectations of circumstances and therefore at times preparing for the worst. Optimism and pessimism have their use, but folks can take either one to the extreme, living either in false hope or in paranoia! We all need each other’s point of view to learn love, respect, compassion!

Big Dude said...

I've been an optimist for most of my life, but over the past 10 years, I've definitely moved in the other direction.

nanny said...

Brings to mind....South Pacific! I am a cockeyed optimist!!!

I'm suck like a dope
With a thing called hope,
And I can't get it out of my heart!

Ann said...

saw your blog listed on Fishhawks blog and came over to take a peek.
I like to think I'm an optimist but I do have my moments. Love the quotes you chose.

Glenda said...

Pam got my answer: "realistic optimist" - most of the time, but like you, I have my doubtful moments! But then Hope whispers . . .

Dorothy said...

I think I'm an optimist. I tend to look on the bright side of things. I caught my attitude from my precious, saintly Grandmothers.

amelia said...

I'm with you Betsy, I always thought I was an optimist but this last little while I have been worrying about the price of gas and our hydro has almost doubled and as you said, food prices are spiralling!

Now we can all worry about Libya etc, etc, etc!!

Colleen said...

Maybe I'm sticking my head in the sand, but when I see the beautiful pictures you post of nature, birds, animals...life, I see the positive of life. Yes, so much turmoil in our world today...genocide, to stay in power, to feed the ego, but the nature of innocent, we can only be optimistic. Maybe, it can bring a ray of hope to the rest of the world.
Thanks, Betsy. Your's is one of the first blogs I have seen recently, that has challenged us to think!!

SquirrelQueen said...

The Reardon quote sums up my feelings on the subject. As an optimist I know things will work out for the best even if they have to be twisted a bit first.

Most of my work life I have been in professional sales for very large manufacturers, my motto has always been "The sale begins with the word NO!" Gotta be an optimist for that line of work.

KathyA said...

I'm ALWAYS positive -- even when I'm sad. People at work used to ask if I was 'always that happy' -- the truth is, I am.

Catherine said...

I'm a 'glass is half full' kind of gal.... unless it's half empty... ;)

Happy Weekend Betsy!
xo Catherine

Anonymous said...

The quotes are great Betsy. I think we all hope we are optimists but there are many things that get us down. I enjoyed reading all the various comments. Have a good weekend.

Pat - Arkansas said...

I'm not a hard-core pessimist, but neither am I a 'living in la-la-land optimist. I'm hardly ever shocked if things turn out badly; more often I'm delighted when they turn out well.

It's surprising how many of the things we spend time worrying about never happen.

Lynda said...

Both but more generally an optimist. I have been accused of being a Pollyanna. When I take my eyes off God and "worship" problems rather than the problem SOLVER, then I am the pessimist.

mudderbear said...

Well, here's what I think: Whatever I think it will prove wrong. If I really like something, a product or store, etc. it will no longer be available. But those are just facts of life...teehee ^.^) Like some of you say, I trust in the Lord to take care me, otherwise I would really be in trouble.

Loren said...

Oh Betsy! This is an excellent post! I LOVE the quotes!!

Like you, I feel I am mostly optomistic but at times can allow my circumstances to turn me into a pessimist. When I recognize it, I am quick to lay it down and give it to the Lord. I KNOW HE doesn't want me to carry the burden nor does HE want me to spread doubt and discouragement. I am always praying that I would be a light for Christ! Seeing through the eyes of Christ is far better for everyone

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend!

diane b said...

I like to think I'm an optimist. I mostly think things will turn out well. But when they don't I can crumble. I know I am less confident as I get older and thus sometimes have pessimistic thoughts.

Love Of Quilts said...

Optimist or a Pessimist.
I think I'm both. God Bless Trish

Marg said...

Wow, I really like your blog. This is our first visit. What a great question. I used to be a pessimist big time. But then I got cancer and have and still are learning to really think positive which I believe means being an optimist. I have found that thinking positive really helps to make one's life so much better. And there are ways to find something good out of really bad things. I wonder if being positive about things is the same as being an optimist? Great subject.

carolina nana said...

Hi, Betsy,
I think I am somewhere in between.I try to see hope in every situations.
But I also tend to expect the worst in situations. When son was in the hospital he goit mad at me because I was so positive about his situation. Maybe it's easier to be positive when it's someone else!
Have a blessed weekend
Marilyn

DeniseinVA said...

This is a very interesting post Betsy, certainly makes you think. I like to think I am an optimist, but it's not always easy. Life has a way of throwing us a few curve balls to test even the most optimistic amongst us.

imac said...

I'm half and half, depending on my thoughts and mood,lol.
Somtimes Ive got a 1/2 full pint then again I could have a 1/2 pint empty pint.

Anonymous said...

I consider myself to be an optimist :-)
and a pessimist :-(
and a realest ?
I think that about covers it :-)

Adrienne Zwart said...

I always thought of myself as a pessimist, but I'm learning that I'm actually more optimistic than I previously thought. Jeff was incredibly optimistic, so I guess I was comparing myself to him. But how nice to realize that I am actually more positive (or perhaps I grew more positive just by being married to an optimist?). It sure has been a handy perspective to have lately.

Adrienne Zwart said...

P.s. I LOVE the crocus flowers in your header! Our snow has finally melted away, and I'm hopeful we'll be seeing little bits of green popping up soon.

CottonLady said...

I think I am six of one and half a dozen of the other. Have had lots of "stuff" in my life, but God has seen me through all of it and I just need to remember He will continue to do so. For the most part I am happy...I just wonder a bit about our country at times!
Very thought provoking, Betsy!
Blessings!
CottonLady

Barbara said...

definitely an optimist, I always see the good out come. Love your new page too,bright and cheery, just like you.
hugs my friend, Barbara

Linda said...

I would have to say I'm an optimist but with all this winter I might say a depressed optimist.....or would that be too much of an oxymoron?

Together We Save said...

Oh wow - your header picture is amazing!

Christmas-etc... said...

Oh yes, an optimist! And really, I've been following along with you for quite some time now and I definitely think you are too! all the way!
Blessings for a lovely Sunday afternoon!
Ann

~mel said...

I'm an optimistic pessimist. Please don't make me rack my brain to explain.

Shelley said...

I would have you pegged for an optomist Betsy! Your blog is always a delight to visit (and plus since I've met you in person, tee hee!) I would say I'm an optomist in most situations - I try anyways!!

Catherine said...

I am one day at a time...I try to prepare for harder times to protect my family..I try to only be driven by faith and what He has planned for me..If I were a pessimist then I would be doubting Him..I guess I am just slow and steady..like a turtle..but prepared. Blessings, Catherine

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Betsy!

I'm glad to be back home from Sydney, Australia! It was a whirlwind trip with very loooooong flights to and from. It's a beautiful city and I was thrilled to see it!

I'm an optimist most of the times. Being away from home in a foreigh country made me realize what we have at home is all good and I was even more grateful to be an American.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Betsy, I think in all honesty I'm probably a bit of both, but mostly I'm a realist. I try to be optimistic, but the direction the world is heading in now...it's hard! Great post! Hugs, Cheryl

Janie said...

Loved the quotes and cartoons, Betsy. I try to see the positive in difficulty, so in that sense I'm an optimist. But in a more general sense, I would say I'm neither optimist nor pessimist, but more a realist.