Read the entire article at this web site:
http://www.the-benefits-of-positive-thinking.com/negative-thinking-versus-positive-thinking.html
Then provide your response to the article. Does it provide some interesting insights into the power of positive thinking over negative? Some people claim it is better to think negative so that they can be prepared for anything bad that happens. Is this logical? After reading the article, offer your critique and then provide examples from your own experiences when positive or negative thinking had any type of outcome.
Before a problem even arises, the thoughts that gather in an individual's head have the ability to make that problem better or worse. Thinking positively usually ends in a positive outcome, as thinking negatively does not end up too well. Although thinking negatively prepares a person for the worst possible outcomes, thinking positively gives one a better chance of the problem being less severe, or not occurring at all.
ReplyDeleteThe human mind is extremely powerful. Being a pessimist is not going to make anything better. My cousins from Indiana scheduled a party for Saturday that we have every year. It is a lot of fun because all of my cousins go to their house and decorate cookies and visit. My cousin got mad at me because I have the snowball dance to go to and will not be able to go. She started saying all of the bad things about the party then, and when I tried to talk to her and point out that a lot of people are still going and that it was still going to be fun, she kept throwing my comments down with depressing thoughts about the outcome of the party. In no way was this going to help her cause. If a bad attitude is being approached while going into something that is going to be fun, it will not be as fun as it has the potential of being. Although individuals might try to be optimistic, a bad day can ruin more than just that one day. The situations that one knows will be occurring in the future can be effected as well.
Being an optimist is important. As the article mentioned, negative thoughts are associated with fear. Fear is bad as well, and has the potential of clouding any reasonable ideas. An optimist has no fear and if they do fail, they have an easier time picking themselves back up for the next time, because whatever happened could have been worse.this type of attitude is the one to possess.
The outcomes of problems are not the only reasons that being an optimist is good. Another important thing to think about when saying something positive or negative is what the people around you want to hear. It is hard to make friends with a negative attitude. Most people would much rather be around a happy person than a sad one. An attitude can change the people around you, and it is hard to be around someone who is sad all of the time.
I was in a great mood after one of my sports events. I did not play much but that did not bother me because my team was happy, so I was happy. One of my teammates, however, was crying because of the amount of time that she played in comparison to her other classmates. I was "nominated" to go calm her down, and she completely changed my mood. I was angry after I talked to her because I was trying to be positive and she was not. It was a mess, but in the end, most of the team was let down. This happened with another individual on our team as well. She thought negatively, and even though she was the most skilled individual on our team, some of the teammates on the field believed that she was bringing the whole team down. Our coach had a talk with us about being positive for an entire practice, and we played the best game of the season the day after.
It is amazing what an attitude can do. Being positive ends in a positive outcome, while being negative does not always work. The positive and negative vibes "radiate" off of people in a way. If everyone were to think positive, the impact that it could have on the whole society would be tremendous.
It is so true that a positive expectation will contribute to a positive experience - if one chooses to let it. In the case of your cousin, it seems that she has already ruined the experience at the party for herself. By constantly proclaiming the negative elements of the party, she is already projecting that she is going to have a bad time. If she were to choose to accept the fact they you were not going to be there, and to have a good time regardless, the experience would be much more fun for her. I think that this happens to each of us more times than we really realize. Take school for example. I think that it is safe to assume that the majority of the students in our school really do not enjoy coming in each day. Every morning, we go through our minds and think about all of the awful things about school - the tests, the homework, the rules. How much different would our school days be if we decided to put all of that aside, and choose to have an enjoyable day? What if we chose to challenge ourselves in school, to compete with our former selves to succeed? What if we decided to do something nice for another student in order to make their school experience a little less dreary. That in itself is rewarding. Perhaps if we were to change our negative outlook on school as a whole, we would find it much more bearable.
DeleteHope is the epitome of positive thinking. Desmond Tutu defines hope as "being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." It is easy to be positive when something good happens. Winning the lottery, going to the beach, and doing well on a test are all actions that would promote positive thoughts. Very few people would win the million dollar jackpot or score well on an SAT and feel bad. In the same way, not very many people feel positive when something bad happens. Failing a test or losing a game are not events that encourage people to jump for joy. They typically feel down and depressed, and this is perfectly normal. Hope does not make these events positive or happy. Hope makes these events seem unimportant in the face of the long term goal, characterizing them as bumps in the road rather than insurmountable obstacles. If one hopes to win the state championship but loses a game, hope makes the team believe that they will still achieve their goal. Hope allows people accomplish feats that they may not have tried in the face of despair. It allows human beings to stand up in the face of oppression and change the world. The positive outlook of the hopeful allows them to do anything when others might say there is no point or that it is impossible. In the words of Thomas Carlyle, "he who has hope, has everything."
DeleteYou're right when you say that the human mind is powerful, Grace. Its crazy how one little thought can control everything all of a sudden. It can consume you. I would probably feel bad if my cousin said that to me, but its ok. If she was thinking that the party would be bad just because one person did not show up, then it will be bad. I learned that if you think an event is going to be bad, then it probably will be. But if you think an event will be good, then it probably will be. And I remember how you were nominated to go calm her down. You did way better than I would have done, because I'm not really good with that stuff. But, that would be a skill I have to work on. I have been on teams where the attitude that others have can make or break a team. The volleyball team was very talented, and we could have won sooner then they did this year if they would have stopped fighting for more than five minutes. That's why I ended up leaving the team. I wanted different goals than they did, and they certainly couldn't achieve them with the way that they were acting. But since they won districts this year, they must have shaped up. So even though I am gone, and could be negative toward them, I am happy for them. Especially because I know the work the coaches put into them. I have learned to apply what I have done in the past to the present, and now I know the better attitude you have the better results you will yield.
DeleteI agree Grace with your point that many of times we make a situation worse by imagining all the bad outcomes that can happen. Sometimes we set ourselves up for failure without even realizing it. However, it is not always our fault. I often feel myself being edged on with negative thoughts based off of other people's thoughts. The example that the article used was when an exam thanks place and some people, like me, tend to look at the worst possible situation of failing and they simply say things like, "oh, I know I'm going to fail." or, "There is no way I'm going to pass this test." This repeatedly sets us up for failure without even giving ourselves a chance. Once we hear this from other people we start to assume, "Well, if so and so does not think they can pass this test what makes me think I can?" We set ourselves up for failure. We also can go in within optimistic attitude and , I don't know, actually do the work provided to assure yourself that there is a chance to pass the test. It is all about work ethic and perspective for certain people.
DeleteOne statement that impacted me in this reading was the quotation, "You could be spoiling your present for a future that is not even real." This is such an excellent insight to keep in mind. So many people go through their lives worrying about what could possibly go wrong rather than accepting the fact that the oncoming adversity is inevitable, and it will pass. I personally know individuals who choose to spend their entire life worrying, and fail to live positively because of it. What is the point of spending one's entire present life thinking negatively about a future that is indeterminable?
ReplyDeleteMy friends and I often spend our days worrying about the next test or homework assignment, and find ourselves incapable of thinking positively because of it. We then spend an absurd amount of time stressing out and proclaiming that we are "going to fail" - even if we know we won't. At some points, I need someone to tell me that these trials are only temporary, and that they will pass. Luckily, my mother has always been that person for me. She is the only one capable of changing my thoughts from "I'm going to fail out of high school" to "This isn't so bad. I can do this." I often find my mother telling me to put my homework down for a while when I am incredibly stressed out. She tells me that the world will not end, even if I receive a poor grade just this once. And it makes a huge difference on the positivity of my life in general. I find myself more capable of enjoying time with my friends and family rather than spending my entire life studying. It makes it easier to find a balance between pleasurable activities and necessary ones.
However, while it is probably true that negative thinking leads to negative outcomes for some people, that has rarely been the case for me, personally. When I am stressing out about a test, for instance, I find myself constantly telling my friends, "I don't know any of this" or "I'm going to fail," regardless of how well I actually know the information. This negative thinking rarely impacts my ability to perform in the classroom. I think that when I student says things such as "I'm going to fail," they are really just preparing themselves for the worst. Whether or not this is logical is unclear, but I do believe that it is common. If a student goes into a test proclaiming, "I'm going to get a 100%" they may be overcompensating their capabilities. Then, when they receive the test back, and it is not a 100%, they find themselves let down and ashamed. Even if I truly believe that I could pass the test easily, I will still say "I'm going to fail." It's become so much of a habit, really. In my mind, I know that I am capable of passing the test. However, I do not want to risk believing that, only to discover that I did worse than I wanted to. So, as a result, I expect the worst.
I think that is important also to find a balance between pessimism and optimism. While a pessimist is often looked down upon for being negative, sometimes it is understandable. It does no good to walk around believing that life will go by with a breeze. Sometimes, it is important to acknowledge the fact that negative outcomes are inevitable, and that is important to prepare accordingly. However, this is not to say that one should walk around proclaiming that everything is awful. Rather, one should expect the negative, and prepare for them, but still see that there is "a light at the end of the tunnel." Likewise, being an extreme optimist is not necessarily ideal either. One could easily find themselves constantly let down by the expected not turning out as it should. It is important for one to find the balance between pessimism and optimism, so as to maintain a positive attitude while expecting the worst.
Many students indulge in negative thoughts as a way to prepare themselves for the worst possible outcome. Going into a test and expecting to fail makes the terrible grade hurt less than if the student thought they were going to ace the exam. Negative thoughts are also a way for students to fit in or help make others feel better.
DeleteAt some point in a student's life, they are not going to study for a test. They will begin to get anxious, telling their friends that they did not study and that they will surely fail. Their friends, in an attempt to comfort them, will say that they will fail as well. This twisted form of comfort does neither student any good, as it envelops each of them in negativity. These negative thoughts can make a student preform badly and earn the failing grade that they talked about. If they had stood up for themselves and thought that they would do well, they may have succeeded. Comforting someone with negativity is not something that one would do in any other situation. Who would go to a funeral and attempt to comfort the grieving family with negative thoughts? Why then do people comfort each other about schoolwork with negative thoughts? In order to comfort someone properly, one must be positive.
In order to fit in these days, it seems like one cannot achieve perfect grades. Students constantly compare grades on tests, quizzes, and essays. Whatever grade the majority of the students have seems to be the highest acceptable grade. Anything higher is cause for jealousy and dislike. Instead of being proud of their work, students above the norm must belittle themselves, saying "I don't know how this happened," or "Did the teacher even read this essay? It was terrible." These students may have just put time and effort into the assignment, or studied for hours so that their grade would be high. When they downplay this achievement as luck, they rob themselves of any pride they could have taken from the assignment. Hard work should not be downplayed in order to fit in with others.
Usually, I am the type of person who thinks negative so I can be prepared for whatever happens. I always thought that was logical because you are prepared for everything and anything. But I am? Whenever, I think of making of a decision, I always think of what bad stuff could happen first. That way, I know the ways in which things could turn out. But then again, there is always that part of me that thinks, "but what if something good comes out of this? It might be great in the end!" After reading this article, I think I could benefit from some positive thinking, and being negative is not always the most logical action to do.
ReplyDeleteMany times I have went through life thinking, "Well, what if...?" But awhile ago I realized that there could be a million what ifs in life, and if I keep thinking like that, I will be thinking forever. One of the quotes in the article that really affected me was, "Negative thinking, for a start, makes you feel bad in the present." And it does! You are worrying about something in the future that might not even happen, and the worrying you're doing is spoiling your present because you're too preoccupied! You could be missing a great opportunity with someone because you're too caught up in your own made up drama to think about other thoughts. Wouldn't you feel bad if you missed an opportunity because you were too caught up in negative thinking? I know I would!
One of the examples given about negative thinking had to do with taking tests. I feel like this all the time. Lots of days I think that even though I have studied, I have not studied good enough or hard enough. But in many cases I do study hard enough, because if I wouldn't have, I probably wouldn't make honor roll or be in the classes I am in today. Lately, I have learned that you do what you can, and the outcome is the outcome. I study and do as much as I can, and that is really what counts. If you go into it with a positive mindset, that helps too. How many times did the author of the article say that the people she went to school with who had bad attitudes were the ones who ended up failing? Nobody wants to end up like those kids, and with college looming in the near future; I would say that we have to change our mindset pretty quickly. I guess what she says goes back to that old saying most of us have probably heard a million times; “if you believe it, than you can achieve it.” I think that is true though, because if you can’t even believe in yourself, how can you expect others to? Nobody wants to be around a negative person. Happy people like happy people. Optimistic people like optimistic people. Negative may feel like the right way to think, but few times it is.
Don’t get me wrong; I think that it is really hard to change a negative mindset, especially if you have been thinking that way for years (and I know I have) but it is possible. I think a good way to do it would be to think of three good things that happened to you today. Although this wasn’t mentioned in the article, I think it’s a good practice. It could be that someone held the door open for you, you live in a warm house, or you got up this morning. They are happenings that are good and you are thankful for. I think if we all thought like this more often, then maybe we could turn the negativity around and starting spreading the optimism, because it has got to be out there somewhere.
(Also, I am sorry I used the word “things” so much, its just other words did not sound as good….it may be a little vague, but think about maybe applying your own thoughts where it says “things..”)
I like how at the end you stated that you used the work "things" to make it woke in our own thoughts, which is actually what it did for me. It made it personal so I could really think of the war I think at the time. It halped me ask myself questions like how can I change that way of thinking into a more positive one. I agree with testing on your part, I always study and do my home work and then when I get to the test negative comments fill my brain. And I agree optimism is out there some where, we just all have to work together to find it.
DeletePositive or negative thinking can have an enormous impact upon a person's attitude and personality. The decisions people make are all based on what they believe the outcome will be, and, when they do not believe in a positive outcome, they do not make many decisions at all. In order to create happiness for oneself, one must believe in positive outcomes, but be aware that they may not always occur.
ReplyDeleteThinking negatively in order to be prepared for the worst is a terrible way to go through life. When someone always anticipates the worst scenario, every decision has the potential to destroy that person. The conjecture and indefinite "what if" scenarios spiral out of control, and plunge the thinker into anxiety and depression. For example, imagine if a new, pessimistic student wanted to join the soccer team. Their thought process might include some of the following thoughts: What if I embarrass myself at tryouts? What if I don't make the team? What if I do but I'm the worst player on the whole squad? What if everyone on the team hates me? These negative thoughts could convince the student that trying out for the team is a mistake. They decide to avoid tryouts in order to avoid the terrible outcomes they have predicted. In reality, nearly all of their predicted outcomes are ridiculous and simply the result of anxiety. What are the chances that one tries out for a team and publicly humiliates themself? This kind of outcome is usually seen in comedy television series or Hollywood dramas. In order to bypass the entire mess, one can simply decide to ignore negative thoughts.
My swim coach always talks about positive thinking. She says that it boosts self confidence, and helps you accomplish anything you put your mind to. If you want something, she believes you just have to go get it. However, she also acknowledges that people have negative thoughts. Human beings constantly link cause and effect, potential cause and effect, or cause and potential effect in order to make decisions about the future. Many times, these connections create negative images or thoughts. My swim coach believes that whenever we have a negative thought, we should get rid of it. First, we acknowledge that we had a negative thought. It is okay; it is natural and normal. Then we must banish it. Our two options are to make it positive or think about something else. For example, if we get to a meet and find out that we must swim the 200 IM or 500 freestyle (the worst two events of a high school swim meet), we cannot dwell on it. We must either think "I can do it," or we must think of something else. Our coach's favorite strategy is thinking of something else. She told us her that technique for when she has negative thoughts is that she thinks about marshmallows instead. We all laughed when she said it, but she was adamant. Whenever she thought something negative, she turned her thoughts to her love of marshmallows, and then she felt better. I employed her strategy and found it to be very successful. I thought about other subjects whenever I found myself thinking negatively. In the pool, I excelled, and I was also very happy. The lack a negativity in my thoughts created a more positive lifestyle.
The way someone thinks is very powerful. Negative thinking "makes mountains out of molehills." Thinking in a positive way helps people to overcome obstacles and difficulties that would normally seem insurmountable. The way people think is a choice, but it can have a great effect on their decisions.
It is so easy to limit oneself to taking little or no action based on what one believes the outcome will be. Many opportunities are missed in life when one takes the route of thinking so negatively that they stop trying in their life. It is a common fact that if one believes that the outcome will be undesired or potentially degrading, they will not try at all, and it will leave them wondering what would happen had they tried. However, there are many people - especially these days - who have made it their goal to never ask "what if," and to go for their dreams, regardless of the possible outcomes. When you think about it, some of the most influential people in history have had to undergo some sort of risk - ones they got through by thinking positively. For example, think of all of the singers who have found their lives being changed forever when they won a national talent show such as The Voice, American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc. These individuals most likely encountered some type of hesitation or negative thoughts. However, they never could have made it where they are today had they not taken that chance. Their lives would be entirely different, simply because they allowed their negative thoughts to impede them from chasing their dreams. They would probably still be sitting at home wondering, "What if I had tried? What if I had overcome my negative thoughts and just went for it?" Unfortunately, no one will ever know.
DeleteAshley, what your coach said about marshmallows is so creative! I love marshmallows. I'm sure what your coach tells you has a big effect on all of you, and that is probably why the swim team is one of the most successful programs the town has ever yielded. You're right how you said thinking negative can tend to destroy a person. Thoughts can so easily spiral out of control. Its weird how you always have to be aware of what you are thinking at a certain time. I feel like its important to remind yourself what situation you are in at the time too. I agree with your swim coach that you should instantly get rid of a negative thought. Next time I am thinking negatively, I am going to think of marshmallows!
DeleteI always have the issues of asking "what if.." It is a terrible thinking process that I have. Asking it once leads to something else and to many other questions. These cause me to worry about everything. Just like you said can cause anxiety. These can alos make me sad becuas the questions scare me and keep me away from what I am planning on doing. Your coach sounds very nice, I'm going to start using her words into order to help me get rid of those terrible "what if" questions.
DeleteI love what Mary tells us about positive thinking because not only does it apply to swimming, but it also apples to life. Getting rid of negative thoughts before they have the power to change one's thoughts is very important.
DeleteAnother point that she stresses is the ability for one thought to travel through many people. Sometimes, I have a lot to complain or worry about after a day of getting homework, tests, and other stress piled onto me. When we get onto the pool deck, though, we cannot complain. Our coach believes that a negative thought can pass through the team like a virus and that if no negativity is brought to practice, the negative parts in the workout can be handled. When comparing soccer and swimming, the positive attitude can be seen the majority of the time in the swim team, while the soccer team struggles with this. Even though I love soccer and the team, the swim team is much less dramatic and a lot happier in all. Promoting positive thinking can do a lot.
I think that overthinking makes things a lot harder in lives. An individual is constantly plagues by thoughts of what could happen I know that I constantly think of extreme situations in my head that would never happen. This makes for a lot of headache later. It causes a lot of stress and it has lead to anxiety in my case. Overthinking and constantly worrying consumed my life for a long time. Just as other people said in the blogs, you have to surround yourself by positive people. This is exactly what I did, and it's what helped me a lot. Being a pessimist is sometimes stressful but it is also needed. In some situations, all of the possible outcomes need to be looked at. The fact of the matter is that everyone needs to balance their positivity and their negativity. This makes for a well rounded person that is in check with reality because they can look at a problem in a variety of different ways.
DeleteThinking positive to me is something that I have to tell myself to do. I tend to be more negative about situations than I am positive. If I am being positive in a situation, it is because I am telling myself to be that way. I think that it is just a matter of personal experiences that happen to change our minds into the way we think.
ReplyDeleteI can remember of times when I was the happy care free girl in middle school. I believe this was the time when technology wasn't very popular, and bullies were not yet bullies. Being bullied to me, was that start of changing the way that I look at everything. It was almost like I was afraid to think the same way because they criticized everything else about me.
I believe that thinking positive or negative can also change in a short amount of time. When my dad first got diagnosed I was a very negative thinker. But then, I learned about relay for life and made my own team. This raised my hopes and changed my views on Cancer. It showed me that I was not alone and my dad could win this battle. It raised my hopes so high, we went to his scan after he finished his first year of chemo. My brother and I went into the room while the doctor was going to tell us about his MRI scan results. I had so my positive thoughts about the scan being clear. Then it changed within a second after when he said the tumor grew and went up a stage and that a second brain surgery, send round of chemo, and radiation were in his future. I then had to regain my hope and make sure to think positive again, which pushed me to do relay for another year. I then had some of my positive facts back. I still think negative when my parents go to my dads doctors appointments because of that passed experience.
I tend to also make sure people think positive by giving them positive advice. Some times I need to learn how to take my own advice that way I can help myself out. If anyone has ever been though a challenging time like me, you will know the way I felt and sometimes still do. It isn't that easy to just change the way you think form negative to positive. It doesn't happen over night. It is something you need to work with.
Not every thought can be positive, just as not every thought can be negative. In reality, it can be easily detected that negative thoughts outweigh positive thoughts by a landslide. It only takes one bad experience or message to bring down many positive ones that have been building up for a long time. My life has been great overall. Of course I have bad phases such as physical problems, dealing with dying friends and family, and stress, but this is a part of life and it happens. During hard times, it is difficult to be positive. It seems like nothing can get better, but remembering that something good comes out of the bad is important. When something in life seems so great, positive ideas are overwhelming and can change another person's mood as well as your own. It is easy to be positive when good things are happening, but it takes strength and a tough mindset to think positively when life is not going as expected.
DeleteMy mom's friend died of cancer a few years ago, and the process is not easy. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to have a parent struggle with a disease as nasty as cancer. The hope that you once had had to be rebuilt. Every bad experience creates a sense of doubt in our minds that needs a lot of thought to be brought back into positive thoughts. Your family is incredibly strong, and starting a relay for life team as a pre-teen is amazing in itself! Even though negative thoughts might have been in the front of your own mind at the time, the positive effort of starting that team is strong enough to be noticed by everyone else in the community.
I know how you feel Maddie. Cancer can really change the lives of anyone that it comes in contact with. My best friends uncle had cancer and I saw the effects that it had on her. It changed the way that she thought about everything. She became closed up and didn't want to talk to anyone about it. Every time I tried to bring it up she shut me down. Finally I accepted that she was not going to talk about it so I simply told her that I would be there for her when she needed me. As soon as I told her that people were there for her I think she understood that not everything in the world is bad, and she no longer had to look at the world as a pessimist.
DeleteWe always see articles on cheesy teenager websites all named something along the lines of, "10 Ways To Be A Happier You" or something corny like that. When I first saw one of these articles, being pessimistic me, I just stared at it thinking that it was stupid and illogical to train yourself to be a positive person. Then, I read one and just started to try doing little things on the list and much to my surprise, they started to work. I do believe that there is not someone that is a complete optimist or a complete pessimist. In all logical thought, there is always that one sad thought that will creep into the mind of even the happiest person and there is always one thing that can make even the most negative person happy. You are never just one or the other.
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ReplyDeleteThe controversy over whether it is better to have a positive attitude has been around for ages. Personally, I do not have an opinion on whether it is better to have a positive or negative view on life. People are going to view life however they want to view life. If they want to be a pessimist and think that everything is going to go wrong then they are going to be a pessimist. If they want to be an optimist and think that everything is going to turn out alright, they can be an optimist.
ReplyDeleteWhat most people do not see is that bad things are going to happen in this lifetime of ours, and it is our decision on how we adjust and how we deal with them. We could blame others for our misfortunes, or we could blame ourselves for the tragedies that occur everyday. Some people even chose to blame God for the things that they do not understand. Whether it be the death of a loved one, or getting fired from a job, people seem to think that bad things are happening to them. This assumption, however is not correct. Bad things are not happening to them, bad things are happening to everyone. These things happen; people die, they lose their jobs, their hopes and dreams dissipate. Sometimes pessimism is just better for some people so that it prepares them for future unpredictable disappointments. Maybe pessimism helps them accept that bad things happen and that they just have to deal with them.
Every time someone falls down, they have the choice whether to get back up again or not. We get back up because we keep on fighting for what we believe in. We get back up because this life does not care that someone is struggling so we prove to it that we can get back up. We get back up so we show the world that we will get back up when it pushed us down. We get back up so we can keep taking on whatever the universe tries to throw at us. We tell the world that we can deal with the things that it throws at us. Some deal with it by being an optimist, while others deal with it with a pessimistic view. Either way, the world is going to throw things at people. Optimists take that and make the best out of it. Pessimists look at it as a normal thing that happens all the time. No matter which way one looks at the situation, things are going to happen. Sometimes people are simply content with their optimistic or pessimistic lives.
Life is like playing a game of poker. Sometimes you are dealt with a good hand, and sometimes you are dealt with a bad hand. Sometimes you just have to bluff and act like your hand is better than the person sitting next to you, in order to win the game. Sometimes, you need to know when to hold your cards, and sometimes you need to know when you have lost. Maybe the world would not seem so bad if everyone just saw it for what it truly is; a game. It's our choice to play. Whether we look at it like an optimist or a pessimist is our decision. It is not really anyone's right to determine which way is a better way of thinking. If someone wants to think like a pessimist, then let them think like a pessimist. If someone wants to think like an optimist, then let them think like an optimist.
RaeAnn I agree with you in a way that I have no view on which is better to be. I believe that both are very important and that both should be balanced in a person's life. Every single person in the world has the qualities of a pessimist or optimist. Many pessimistic people have positive thoughts and vice versa. Being to much of one can cause unwanted problems in future events. I really loved how in the end of your blog you talked about life being a game of poker. We all have the power to choose how we live and how we view life, and it is the individual decision to be positive or negative.
DeleteI really agree with you, RaeAnn on your poker analogy. To go along with the poker theme, I feel as if optimistic people tend to gamble more than the pessimists. Optimism tends to blur boundaries and make risks seem nonexistent. This is however untrue. The optimist will probably put in all their chips, while a pessimist would tend to put a budget since they consider the possibility of losing. Life really has no guarantees. This should not define us as humans, but it should however make us cautious. This is why there needs to be a balance of optimism and pessimism.
DeleteIt is always interesting to see other people's, especially specialists, thoughts on the human brain and how it works when it comes down to negative and positive thoughts. Many people think that it is solely based on ourselves to produce our optimism or negativeness, but I think differently. I feel like a great deal of our attitude based on our own thoughts, but also it can come off of the people we are often around. I hear the quote quite often, "Surround yourself with positive people in order to make yourself a positive person," (or it's something along those lines, but you get the point) This quote serves as a reminder that if you constantly have someone with a negative attitude that looks for the absolute worse in every situation, that has the potential to effect you and turn you into someone with those thoughts. However, the same thing works with positive people. If we look at the positive things in the world, not completely ignoring the negatives, we will slowly become more successful. This may not be represented automatically, but slowly our happiness will show in our work.
ReplyDeleteI am naturally a pessimist about everything I do. It is not something I can control and it makes me so ultimately frustrated. I am so jealous of people that can always be happy about everything and try to make the best out of every awful situation that they are presented with. The period of my last months at Ridgway, because believe it or not I was worse at one point than I am now. I felt myself becoming so negative and it became such a problem that I was constantly mentally tired and really just hated absolutely everyone and everything. The minute I left, people automatically started telling me the difference that they saw in my attitude towards everything that I did. I started looking up things on the Internet to do to improve moods and attitudes and I did the most important thing I could: I cut myself off from a lot of the people who made me upset at Ridgway. Little things do make the difference in your attitude as an optimist or a pessimist.
We also see the world as only being able to be one thing or another: a pessimist or an optimist. The reality, however, is that there is a little bit of each in everyone. Every optimist has a few things in this world that make it so hard to deal with life, but they choose to overcome it, even if it is with a little doubt. A pessimist can be so focused on what is getting them down and what makes them think that nothing will be okay, but there is always those few moments or things that can make them happen, even in the worst of times. It is about outlook as much as the people you surround yourself with. Also, with hard work, it is very possible to change your own outlook on life of you feel that you are a negative person and you need to change. I feel like there is a reason that we act how we do and it is something that cannot be explained no matter how much research is done or how many brains are studied. Every single person is different and we all share unique features that make us either happy or sad, but it cannot be explained.
I am the same way as you, Jenna. I always think that everything is the worst that it could be and that it could only get worse, and then I look at my brother and realize that my life isn't that terrible. My brother is split between two families, both who do not realize his position. Every time I look at him and see how upset that he is, it reminds me that I need to be happy. I need to be happy because if I can't be happy with him, then no one else will be. Every time we watch our television show together, every problem that we ever had before seemed to go away, and we were optimists for the moment.
DeleteJenna, I agree with you on the point of saying that being positive or negative is not just a a person's thoughts but I can be who you are surrounded by. I never thought of that angle, but know that I do I realize how true that it. If you are around be people who are happy you tend to feel happy and vice versa. It is crazy to think how the people around you can affected the way you feel whether or not it is a good feeling or a bad feeling.
DeleteJenna, I usually have the same mindset that if it rains, it pours. If one thing goes bad then something else is probably going to go bad. It's very frustrating when when everything seems to go continuously wrong. It's extremely hard to remain optimistic in these situations. I also like your point that our outlook is influenced by people around us. It only makes sense that an individual will be optimistic if they are surrounded by positive people. This is true in my case at least. I found a great group of friends and they make the hard times a lot easier and make me realize that things are not all bad. It is important to have these types of people in our lives and to not constantly be surrounded by negative people because then we will be miserable. It's very true that there is a little bit of positivity and negativity in each of us. This is important though, because it balances us out.
DeleteJenna, I know exactly what you mean. My entire life, I was surrounded by negative people. That may be a reason why I am the negative person I am now, but that really does not matter. I am glad that you have gotten better. I am not really the most positive person, but I do see the positive in every situation.mi hope you have found a positive in your situation. But yup. I feel that positive thinking is good for a person. And I am glad that you are beginning to think more positively about life and just everything.
DeletePositive and negative thinking can definitely influence a person's decisions and outlook on life. I believe that self fulfilling prophecies occur very often. People that approach experiences with a preset mindset, either positive of negative, will discover that the experience turns out to be just what they thought it would be. When reading this article, I was reminded of a TV show I used to watched called "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody". In one of the episodes, one of the characters was influenced by a motivational speaker who was visiting their hotel. The catch phrase that he repeated throughout the episode as advise to others was, "If you can believe, you can achieve." This statement really stuck with me and helped me to become a more positive person. It's funny how a silly sitcom could have such an influence on me. But, it is so true. I have carried this advice with me and applied it to many situations in my life. For example, we were supposed to have a Human Anatomy and Physiology Bone Practical on Friday. I felt prepared and confident I was going to do fairly well because I had spent a lot of time preparing and understood the material. It was a wonderful feeling to have that confidence. However, school was canceled and the doubts began creeping in again. As I rebooked over the material, I began to become more positive about the situation. On the contrary, I have found myself in the opposite situation as well. Negative thinking is just as powerful positive thinking. I have experienced this as well. During one of my softball tournaments a lot of negative things occurred the night before a big game. These negative events effected the whole team and we played one of our the worst games. Self fulfilling prophecies occur often in sports. Teams that are scheduled to play other teams with good reputations can often feel they can never beat that team. Then, what happens is that they do lose because they came into the game with a defeated attitude.
ReplyDeleteI can understand why some people think that negative thinking prepares you for the worst but they must realize that this type of thinking can develop into a self fulfilling prophecy. While there is some benefit to anticipating possible outcomes so that you are prepared for every situation, there is a danger in letting these negative feelings become the focus. Allowing yourself to worry about all the things that could go wrong can be crippling. Some people avoid situations that could be a lot of fun because they get worked up about what might happen. For example, some students might not join a club or activity because they are afraid it might not be a popular choice and others may make fun of them because of their interests. This happens frequently at the high school level. Most of us could really relate to "High School Musical" because it was a great illustration of this. The popular basketball star wanted to be in the musical but was afraid of what others would think.
Overall, I believe positive and negative thinking should be balanced in a person's life. Being overly optimistic or pessimistic can lead to greater issues down the road. But, in general the benefits of positive thinking far outweigh those of negative thinking.
I don't know if I agree with your whole "destiny" concept. I am a very negative thinker. I always assume the worst. But many times, for me at least, things turn out ok. Sometimes disaster does strike, but most of the time, disaster will stay away. I agree, thinking positively probably will improve your outlook in life. But I have been getting by with these negative thoughts. I do not see a reason to change. I feel better when I think positively, but my feelings do not matter. If I feel great, the world will not suddenly get better. That's how I look at it, but I am probably wrong. Sorry for disagreeing with you. I'm sure that I just didn't look at this right.
DeleteAs all of you may know, I am a very negative thinker. I never see the bright side in a situation. When something good happens to me, I just brush it off because it's not really that important. I'd much rather good things happen to all of you, because you deserve it. I have not done anything to deserve good things to happen to me. But yeah...anyway...I guess the statement that negative thinking makes people more prepared for the future seems very illogical. I think people can be equally prepared for the future if they are positive thinkers.
ReplyDeleteI took my ACT this Saturday. I think I did ok, but that's not really what I want yo talk about. I probably was the most annoying person on the face of the planet on Saturday. You should all be thanking the Lord in Heaven that there was no school on Friday. I just walked around all day playing Trivia Crack and ranting about how I was going to fail my ACT. My father kept telling me to think positively about the ACT, but I never think positive about anything. Trigonometry may be my best subject but I still walk into class wondering what will happen when I fail my trig test. I get so consumed in the negativity, I basically convince myself I already failed. On another note, even on Trivia Crack, I am always convinced I will not know the answer to a question then I wonder what will happen when I lose to some person. Negativity may be one of my greatest weaknesses in life.
I will say this though about negativity, I never am really disappointed when I fail at something. I don't know if this is a good thing, but yeah. I don't know if I can become a positive thinker because it is pretty much engraved into my DNA that I am negative. I am over it now I suppose. Negativity does keep me on my toes though because I always think something bad is going to happen. Bad things do not usually happen. I believe then that I am the perfect definition of paranoid. Although I don't believe I appear paranoid. But well...yup. Life rolls on. I believe everything happens for a purpose, and because I am negative something positive will result from it.
That doesn't mean I particularly like being a negative thinker. I feel really hollow many times and find myself asking really deep philosophical questions. Who does that? Besides philosophers. But I feel many times that the world is going to end when I go do something. I picture like for example driving to school and the road behind me blows up. Sorta like that scene out of The Dark Knight Rises. I know in my heart that won't happen. But I still picture something catastrophic happening like that. I know, it seems almost childish to picture things like this. But I don't know. On the outside, I try to be a good student who really doesn't care about much else. But on the inside I fear many things and actually I have a dark side. For all of you who have ever seen me very angry to the point I unleash all my fury on the world, sorry about that. Negativity is a reaction to that fear I believe. But I don't know, I'm not a doctor or a psychologist. Just a personal theory I guess.
I would agree with you, Nick, that optimism and pessimism are just part of a person's brain, but I have to disagree that it is permanent. I have studied psychology on my own for a long time. I will not even disclose how much because it is rather embarrassing and I might sound obsessed. I'm not obsessed. It is just a very interesting, complex topic that really excites me. I have found that the brain can always be changed. Sometimes it takes people getting medicine or an experience, but a person's brain is never in a permament state. I would say it is easier for me to be a pessimist, because who likes to have their hopes crushed? It is more fun to play in lala land, but it is heartbreaking to fall from it. Reality is a safe haven.
DeleteThere can be numerous outlooks on any situation. Some people look at things extremely positively and others look at things extremely negatively. I do not think, however that being a pessimist or optimist will change the outcome of a person's situation. A person should not be completely optimistic or pessimistic. There has to be a mix between the two mind sets for a person to have a realistic view on the world. For example, I have been dating Tony for over two years and it is very hard for me to deal with his constant optimism. I am more of a pessimistic person, I don't know why but I always have been. Therefore, when we work together to make a decision and discuss things it works out really well because the two mind sets meet in the middle and the best decision can be made. As the author says, an individual cannot always be pessimistic, because it leads to negative outcomes. However, a person cannot always be optimistic either, because this will lead to unrealistic thoughts. When a person is always negative, it can be very detrimental to them. They are not truly able to enjoy life and the situations they are put in. However, being somewhat pessimistic is not a bad thing. This makes a person aware of all the flaws or things that could go wrong in a situation. Being pessimistic also is a more realistic way of looking at the world. The truth is that life isn't fair and you aren't going to get everything you want, so don't expect it. If you are prepared for disappointment, it won't be as hard to deal with. Many times people use pessimism as An excuse to be miserable. I know many people who just walk around the hallway with a grim expression and are constantly negative. They make up so many excuses as why they aren't going to do things because they think it's not going to matter anyway. The truth is that this isn't being pessimistic rather than just being lazy and miserable. Being constantly optimistic also is not always a good thing either. An individual will cause themselves a lot of heart ache if they think that things are always going to go their way. We all know people who are constantly upbeat and convinced that everything is sunshine and rainbows. I also know we think these people are extremely annoying. To be able to look at things in a realistic light an individual has to be both a pessimistic and optimistic at the same time. Being pessimistic helps an individual see things realistically while being optimistic helps an individual enjoy life and hold out hope that good things are going to happen to them. The important thing is that everyone is able to look at life in different perspectives to realizes the good and the bad.
ReplyDeleteThroughout life, we all hear about wether some imaginary glass is half empty or half full. This metaphor reflects a mindset of optimism or pessimism. Both minds sets can be beneficial and detrimental. For a long time I was dead set on becoming a psychiatrist. I spent a myriad of hours in my basement reading articles on psychological disorders and how the brain functions with the release of chemicals. My days were spent accompanied by a binder, paper, a pen, and my laptop to watch documentaries from Documentary Heaven. Although I have decided I wanted a job to allow me to express my creativity, I still am deeply interested in how people's brains function, so naturally when I read this article, I thought of it from a more scientific point of view.
ReplyDeleteThe human brain has endless capabilities of changing for the better or the worse. Just because one's brain thinks and functions someway today, does not mean it has to be like that tomorrow. Although studies have shown that happier people are often more healthy, these studies do not explain if people are happier because they are healthier or healthier because they are happier. Therefore, it is impossible to say they are healthier from happiness. The results of the studies could come from people being happier because they have less health issues plaguing their mind.
If a tragedy occurs, such as the death of a family member, pessimists are less likely to develop psychological disorders, such as depression, from the incident than an optimist. Now I can bring in my personal view on this matter with that fact being thrown out. I think this can be due to the fact some optimists aspire too much for a perfect life and cannot handle when life does not go swimmingly. Often times I do contemplate the different mind sets of people and the effects it has on them. I have come to the conclusion that people are like puppets. Everyone is held up by strings. I often think that the more positive person is held up by thinner strings because they fail to take into account all of the possible mishaps. Pessimists are held up by thicker string. Now say someone comes in and shakes around the puppets like life sometimes shakes up people's plans. The thinner string is bound to break before the thicker string. This pessimistic mindset is a mode of protection for many people. I personally feel if you make your strings too light, something is going to cut them up, which will commence one's life to crash.
I realize most people reading are probably wondering how I failed to take into account the obvious pessimistic attitude of victims of disorders such as depression and social anxieties. These disorders cause a person to see life as negative, but these are caused by the brain is malfunctioning. Although sometimes this can happen at random to individuals, in many cases, a traumatic event happened to cause people to have this chemical imbalance in their brain. With this disclaimer being thrown out, it is easier to associate it with the last paragraph. According to statistics, these traumatic events, which caused the chemical imbalance, are more likely to an optimist.
I like to see the glass half full and half empty. I think there is no correct answer to being an optimist or a pessimist. It is always important to consider external factors that have a likelihood of happening, but it is also important to not let these define us. It is important to have goals, but not set them to an extraordinary level that can never be reached and to not let these goals be the determining factors of how we live our lives if they are not reached. For example, I would really love to attend FIT, NYU, or Parsons for a degree in fashion merchandising, but I realize the slim chance I have of acceptance due to the high competition of colleges and the fashion industry. My dream occupation would be to be the CMO of Saks Fifth Avenue, which is obviously has very slim chances. So I think that is the key, set goals, but realize you cannot always succeed. Think optimistically yet plan pessimistically.