According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition of pessimism is:
1. "A tendency to take the gloomiest possible view of a situation."
2. "The doctrine or belief that this is the worst of all possible worlds and that all things ultimately tend toward evil."
As you can see, pessimism is simply a way a person sees the world around him/her. It is a choice. Overcoming pessimism involves changing how we think. At first glance, this can possibly seem impossible. Given your current circumstances, whether it be financial troubles, a bad relationship, trials at work, it can seem that your only option is to choose to be pessimistic. The antidote or solution to pessimism is its exact opposite, which is gratitude.
Optimism is choosing to see the good in life and practicing positive thinking. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, optimism is:
1. "A tendency or disposition to expect the best possible outcome or to dwell upon the most hopeful aspects of a situation."
So, the difference between an optimist and a pessimist is really how the two look at situations and circumstances.
The biggest struggle for the negative thinker is that they tend to feel that anyone in their particular circumstances would be depressed and frustrated too. Often times a pessimist gets caught up in the awfulness of a situation while an optimist chooses to focus on what can be done to change the situation. Optimists tend to be goal setters while pessimists may operate in chaos without a plan.
One way to find out if you have negative thought patterns is to simply begin to be aware of what you are thinking throughout the day. Try to stop and catch yourself in the act of thinking and write down exactly what you are thinking. Is it positive or negative?
If it is negative, don't worry, you can now take that thought and physically change it! In the next article in this series, I will discuss the effects that pessimism has on your health. In the last article of this series we will go into detail about how to change from being a negative thinker to a positive thinker. You will not believe the effect that this will have on yourself and everyone else around you. It is truly life changing!!