Optimism

[wolfy]

The last part by Berens is very good.

[defragmybrain]

Originally Posted by Jeffster

ATTENTION FELLOW SPs.



"Artisans are the supreme optimists. The past is water under the bridge, so forget it. The distant future is a long way off, so don't waste time planning for it. But the next moment? Here the SPs shine with a natural confidence that things are going to turn their way. SPs feel lucky: the next roll of the dice, the next move, shot or ploy will be a lucky one, never mind that the last few have failed. What comes next is bound to be a break, a windfall, some smile from Lady Luck. And once on a roll or a hot streak, SPs believe their luck will hold, and they will push it to the limit."

Do you feel this is true for you? If so, can you elaborate on your approach to life and how this plays out in what you do. Be as specific as you can.

If you don't think it's accurate about you, then tell me what your basic approach to upcoming events is, and same deal, give me some specifics about how your approach has affected your actions in life.

Dead on, for me. The past is gone, the future's just a figment of our imagination and hasn't happened yet. Screw it all, frankly. I am living now and nothing is more real to me. If i have problems, i'm only happy to go to bed and wake up the next morning. The problems do not go away, but i am able to start over THIS VERY DAY.

Maybe it is only because i'm young(and thusly naive), but i have no problem taking risks that other people would never try. Getting into the cars of strangers... i am too trusting. Everyone is good, and i have nothing to lose.
I don't believe in regret, everything happens for a reason, and i don't waste my time dirtying my good mood with feelings of pain or suffering.

If something bad happens, and i need to fix it immediately, i fix it with an overdose of sensory goodness (food, sex, physical stress release).
Am i really lucky? or is it just that i don't believe in bad things, regret, pain or suffering?

I have a hard time sympathizing with people who are often sad, cynical or depressed. In short i tell them to simply "get over it". And while i know this isn't easy for many, i keep coming back to the fact that if it is easy for me, well then it is ultimately possible for anyone else.

[Fading Dead Star]

I'm a very optimistic person when in a neutral to good move. As the quote stated says, I'm very indifferent to the past unless it's something extremely significant, and always believe there is some good around the corner, and I just have to live life and wait for it to happen.

When I'm in a bad mood everything can seem bad for me though.

[millerm277]

I dislike the description because it implies that our normal decision making, is just to go "f*** it, this will work this time, lets try it!" even if it's dangerous or whatever. That isn't the case. I am much, much more naturally in tune with exactly where my limits are on anything than most people, and I am very good at reading both situations and people. To put it more simply....it isn't luck, it's a calculated risk. Almost every action I take is. I very rarely lose. Why? Because I naturally think of pretty much every possible outcome of doing something, and position myself for the best chances of succeeding. And if I feel like the consequences/bad outcome is an issue either because of being likely to happen or because on the off chance that it did happen, I can't recover from the result....then I don't do it.

I'm not optimistic. I'm a realist. I just don't dwell on the bad (or the good) events that have happened if they have no relevance to what's at hand. If my house burned down, the response wouldn't be tears and whatever at the moment I saw it. The response would be "Well, shit. Time to see what I can find. Hey look guys! I found my wallet!".

[Fading Dead Star]

Originally Posted by millerm277

I'm not optimistic. I'm a realist. I just don't dwell on the bad (or the good) events that have happened if they have no relevance to what's at hand. If my house burned down, the response wouldn't be tears and whatever at the moment I saw it. The response would be "Well, shit. Time to see what I can find. Hey look guys! I found my wallet!".

It isn't wise to say 'if my house burned down' or something like that. You have no idea what it is to have your house burned down, so it's naive to say how you'll respond to it. I'm not saying I have, just that for anyone with any personality, it's impossible to predict how something so catastrophic feels.

[millerm277]

Originally Posted by Fading Dead Star

It isn't wise to say 'if my house burned down' or something like that. You have no idea what it is to have your house burned down, so it's naive to say how you'll respond to it. I'm not saying I have, just that for anyone with any personality, it's impossible to predict how something so catastrophic feels.

You have a point. I can't state for the particular situation, but I've been in enough to have a pretty good idea of how I react. (Car accidents, broken limbs, death/severe illness of people close to me.).

Car Accident - Well, that bumper had a scratch anyway, now someone else gets to pay for it.
Broken limb - Damn. An hour later: Oooo, I can hit people with this cast, and it gets me out of all this stuff in school? Awesome!
Death/Severe illness - Pay my respects/do what I can to help, then return to my normal life. "Mourning" is extremely counterproductive for me.

[stellar renegade]

This:

Originally Posted by me_plus_one

Rather than perceiving this supreme force as luck, it would be more accurate to look at it as an unsurpassable energy, that can be either favourable or not. Which shouldn't have any connection to optimism. Doesn't it ever happen to you to just know if your bus is going to be late or not?

I have a pretty optimistic approach to life; I do what I desire, mostly don't think too much at it, because it's gonna be great anyway! Yeah, future can be bad, but there's no point in expecting it to be so. And I also live with a deep conviction that if I am really set for something, I will achieve it. Until now, it has worked well.

Although, I will say that I do believe I lead a charmed life. I'm not saying it always works out perfectly for me, but I've run into so many good opportunities it's hilarious. My dad actually said one time that things just always seem to work out for me, in relation to something as simple as catching the bus.

Yes, I do sometimes miss that bus (metaphorical or no) but I can always catch the next one, and my failures pretty much roll off my back like so much water. If I miss an opportunity, there's no contemplating it; I merely look for the very next one.

Like for instance when I missed the Amtrak to Oklahoma to party with some friends, as soon as the guy told me it had already left, I immediately turned and walked straight across the room to the Greyhound desk. There was no contemplation of and frustration over the situation like an SJ might do. That would merely clog up my flexible ability to leap to the next option.

I did get slightly disappointed I missed that first night, though, since it seemed to be a pretty good one, but I honestly hardly thought about it and just enjoyed the other nights afterward to the fullest.

So maybe part of the reason I feel like I lead a charmed life is that I forget about all the things that went wrong and focus on the fun times.

The other part is that I'm constantly looking for opportunities so that it's not so much about luck as it is just plain observation and awareness.

Ya think?

[poki]

Originally Posted by Fading Dead Star

It isn't wise to say 'if my house burned down' or something like that. You have no idea what it is to have your house burned down, so it's naive to say how you'll respond to it. I'm not saying I have, just that for anyone with any personality, it's impossible to predict how something so catastrophic feels.

What miller said is how I respond to everything pretty much. Shit happens, learn from it, dont beat yourself up and move on. This attitude drives my wife nuts. We got here once, we can do it again. I have actually said this recently to someone who wanted to give up what we worked hard for because it was just to much at that time. It didnt take a catastrophy and I wasnt even forced to think like this, this is just my natural response to everything. If you make it fun the first time, you may miss what you had and feel sad, but you dont dread having to do it all over again.

[6sticks]

That quote seems to promote self-delusion, and relying on outside forces. I consider myself fundamentally a realist, and rely on myself. And realistically if you approach something with an optimistic mindset you're more likely to succeed.

[stellar renegade]

Originally Posted by 6sticks

That quote seems to promote self-delusion, and relying on outside forces. I consider myself fundamentally a realist, and rely on myself. And realistically if you approach something with an optimistic mindset you're more likely to succeed.

I definitely agree with that last line, and I think that's all it means. As much as you can control, there are always things that are gonna be out of your control, and you just have to leave it up to life to make those things work out for you, especially if you're doing all you can and continually looking for the best opportunities.

It usually works out pretty well, in my opinion.