Ruthless Optimism Will Save the World

How often does it feel like the world is on fire at any moment? Things (e.g., in the world, at work, at home, your favorite sports team, etc.) are typically getting worse than they get better. It at least feels that way. 

And if it feels that way, that must be true. 

Right?

"It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realize how often they burst into flames." - Harry Hill

Viewing the world like we're looking at ants through a magnifying glass is easy. If that's all you do, the world will look like it's on fire. 

What we feel is heavily driven by what we focus on. Focusing on the negative will make us more pessimistic. Being brave enough to focus on the positive, or even hoping that positive events could happen, could change how you feel. It could help drive more minor good things to get done. 

Cynicism is easy. It's also cowardly. 

There are days it's a lot easier to pile on something and vent how dumb someone is or how terrible this other event that happened was. There is a time and a place for that. Being happy and pollyanna all the time isn't productive. It's even discouraged in the book of Proverbs. 

That said, taking the cynical view of most things takes zero risk. Cynicism takes the burden of change off you because...what's the point of trying? If things get better, great! If not, at least you weren't fooled. 

Optimists may be viewed as naive or ignorant. More often than not, cynicism is well-disguised ignorance of what's possible. 

Taking an optimistic approach to change is the catalyst to improve things. Whether that's a needed improvement in your neighborhood, a work project, you're down 26 points with a quarter to go in a playoff game to a favored team, or facing a challenge at home. Focusing on the good things that could happen makes them more likely to happen. 

Take a chance at optimism. Focus more of your attention on the positive changes happening in the world. Some of the most successful people I know are also the most optimistic. I don’t think their outlook on life is because of their success - I believe their success exists because of their outlook of the world.

I'm not perfect at this. I'm still learning how to be better about not taking the easy cynical way out of challenges. 

What I am finding is that optimism, while sometimes difficult, is almost always worth the risk.