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This post addresses 10 key questions about being a pessimist. Each of these questions are answered separately and can be read completely with the read more button. The read more button is used for better access to the user. We would love to know your thoughts about the post. Without much ado, here are the 10 key parameters.

1) What is the Meaning of Pessimist?

The dictionary clearly defines pessimist as a person who has the tendency to expect the worst in everything. In other words, the brain is so well trained in identifying the [read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”] trouble with any situation that they make expert quality control guys. But the unfortunate part is that they might tend to be perfectionists which might stand in the way of their own success sometimes.

A pessimist is someone who knows that a problem is right around the corner, he/she is someone who is always alert and aware that no matter how good things seem – it is not the complete truth. There must be something wrong somewhere![/read]

2) Is it bad to be a pessimist?

Well! The most generic answer we would get here is YES – It is awful to be a pessimist. But the question is “Bad for whom?”.  The unfortunate truth about a pessimist is that [read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]  it turns out to be bad for him/her most of the times and the ones closely associated with them. It prevents them from enjoying the finer little things in life and they tend to make the worst of a circumstance provided to them. It might be a way to keep themselves alert. but it certainly keeps them weary of trouble and they become so good at it that they really miss out on “The Essence of happiness” sometimes. So yeah, to an extent it is bad to be a pessimist.[/read]

3) What makes someone a pessimist?

Well, we are sort of sounding that pessimists are villains. They sure are not, they are some really sweet and nice people who perhaps have been brought up in an environment [read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”] which expected too much out of them. They are the ones who have been through some rough experiences when they believed in something. And the natural response somewhere down the line became pessimism just to avoid the pain of being rejected from their hopes. Hence they constantly find something wrong so that they don’t feel so bad when it happens. They are the ones on who face a negative outcome before it actually happens. And unfortunately they are also the ones who suffer the most. [/read]

4) What are the advantages of being a pessimist?

We operate under the belief that nothing in this world is a pure absolute. Pessimists do come with an acute sense of wit which can spot an error which an optimist tends to avoid.[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]  Pessimists are the ones you go to when you think that your project or plan has no loop holes. These are the guys who can spot an error which you think is remotely possible. Although it might stand in the way of their action, these guys can be wonderful planners and can give some very important insights about how to take things ahead and be careful at the common tipping points. [/read]

 5) What are the disadvantages of being a pessimist?

The disadvantage is quite simply that they are so overcome by the fear or cloud of these negative outcomes that it prevents them from actually stepping out of their comfort zone.[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”] There have been some amazing examples of people who have done that. They have understood the power of pessimism and decided to look beyond the traps. They have been smart enough to identify what aspects of it hold them back and what can propel them forward and it has done that exceedingly well for them. Eventually it is all about being a little smart about it. [/read]

6) Are optimists more successful than pessimists?

This I believe is the most important question we might answer in this topic. And the answer is “Clearly No”. Infact an optimist faces more failure than a pessimist does. An optimist is so[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”] driven by energy that he misses the caution and jumps head on into action. Sometimes it works in his favour if he is able to respond to the feedback from the negative results, but most times it has been a bullish attempt which has rather ended painfully.

On the other hand, the pessimists are right more number of times than an optimist is which gives them a clear victory in the % of successful hits over the unsuccessful attempts. But they tend to overanalyse so much that they end up trying less and the numbers are clearly very small giving a clear edge to the optimists. [/read]

7) What does an optimist feel about a pessimist?

In one word – “Irritated”. Optimists feel that these guys are there just to rain on their parade. They are absolutely restless about the pessimists and wait for an opportunity to call them[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”] downers or stupid or what not. They think that these pessimists are just out there to prove them wrong and pull them down. They think that their risk appetite is way lower which makes them annoying people to be with. They sometimes feel that their energy is being drawn out of them and prefer to stay away. [/read]

 8) What does a pessimist feel about an optimist?

In one word – “Immature”. Pessimists find optimists – too full of adrenaline who think less and are just too blinded by energy. They think that optimists miss the finer details and most times they actually do.[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”] They think that these optimists push them way beyond the pessimist’s comfort zone without courtesy as to how hard it is for them. But they also feel that they wish they had the guts of an optimist to go beyond their fear and do something. Not that they appreciate them completely, not that they aspire completely either, but there is a mid way they would like to get to. [/read]

 9) Should a pessimist change into an optimist?

Now, this is an important question based on how you place yourself on the list. If you ask us, it is very hard to find a complete optimist or a pessimist. But it is the consistency of our response to events[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]  which perhaps puts us in these brackets. The answer to the question HOW is pretty simple, but we need to figure out WHY first. If you are sure that it is time to change then yes you need to. If you think that it is pulling you down and keeping you away from the things you want to achieve in life then YES, you need to. But if you are able to balance it off, then you need not listen to the dumb so called optimists out there, you are fine the way you are if you are able to derive the maximum happiness out of life without hurting others. But if you decide that it is time to change, then the question 10 is quintessential. [/read]

10) How to change from being a pessimist into an optimist?

The HOW is always easy compared to the WHY! If you have a strong enough motivation, the job is 60% done. The rest is putting your spirits into action. You could do that in many ways [read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]

1. Identify your pattern – see how you react to any news, what is the first response you get.
2. Identify the alternatives – what responses could replace these emotions. For example if the first response is fear, you need to identify whether you can replace it with curiosity – identify what does it mean instead of thinking it is bad news. Think how it could be used to your advantage.
3. The moment you identify the trouble with anything, find the opportunities as well. Find out the opportunity in each one of them. Almost certainly always there is a silver lining attached which we cannot see immediately.
4. Don’t respond to an occurrence immediately. There is usually a bigger challenge out there and most things that happen are feedback and symptoms. Instead of thinking the impending doom, think about how you can use this to your advantage.
5. Find a buddy – tell them how you usually react and how you would like to react. Let them be there to point out till it becomes a natural behaviour for you. [/read]

The above 5 lists are a great start, if you want a detailed review, we would like to recommend this piece – How to be optimistic by Wikihow

These were our 10 key questions about being a pessimist. Your thoughts are very valuable to us, please do share below.

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