Right, so I know what you’re thinking!

What, exactly, is optimism?

Some say it’s a form of being naive. Some say it’s being hopeful.

If I’m gonna make a blog about optimism, it makes sense to define what I’m talking about. Is there a universal understanding of the word,or am I using my own explanation? Let’s take a look at optimism and the power of the word.

So, if you’ve been following me long enough, you know I have a go-to dictionary: Merriam-Webster. Let’s see what they say about optimism:

1. a doctrine that this world is the best possible world
2. an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

Hm. I’m not loving this. You know what this is missing? Emotion. But let’s break this definition down anyway.

The first point indicates that optimism basically means this is the best scenario. If we go really deep, I feel like this hints at the idea that the butterfly effect would lead to a worse situation. It indicates an alternate reality would be worse off than ours. That’s how I read into that.

The second point is interesting. To me, it says that more about attitude. It speaks more to our viewpoint. I can look at one situation and look at it…well, half full while someone else can see it half empty.

But it goes a little more than that. It also speaks to action. Looking at a situation and figuring out how to “maximze” the potential. If the glass is half full, how do I fill it or at least keep it from going lower. The best possible outcome.

Both of these definitions indicate it’s more of a mindset than a feeling. I agree with that. That leads me to an interesting point: Optimism LEADS to Hope.

That’s right! Hope is the emotion that is born from optimism. Let me give you an example:

So, let’s say you’re at work. You have this project that you need to complete by a certain time. Most of us live that all of the time at work, regardless of the job/industry. Okay great. Now, as you’re working on the project, you run into an unforeseen oopsie. Something went wrong.

Before I continue, I’m gonna share this quote really quick:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Great, so let’s go back to our job. Optimism looks at the problem and basically says “I’ll figure this out. I won’t give up.”

Now hope steps in. Hope is the fuel for the optimism. It allows us to actually work towards the goal. It allows us to figure it out. We develop a gameplan and get it done.

I hopped onto Psychology Today and there’s a great quote to try to connect optimism and hope. Check this out:

“Simply put, the optimistic person believes that somehow—either through luck, the actions of others, or one’s own actions—that his or her future will be successful and fulfilling. The hopeful person, on the other hand, believes specifically in his or her own capability for securing a successful and fulfilling future.”

See that? Optimism is the belief that things will somehow work out. But the hope comes from the idea that we are the ones that can make it happen.

So why not go with “Dante’s Hope”? Why did I fixate on optimism?

Hope says “I can make it better” and Optimism says “It will be better”. I still see it as hope comes from optimism. How can I make something better if I don’t believe in the idea that, in general, it can actually be better?

Optimism feels a little more realistic and has more practical usage. There are a lot of things out of our control in this world. Yes, we control a good amount of things; and it’s important to look in the mirror for improvement. But, again, there are many things that impact us that we can’t directly control.

The economy. The drunk driver that crashes into you. The CEO making poor decisions that results in you getting laid off. These are things out of your control. Optimism says that despite these things, we’ll survive. It will be fine.

Now, hope also plays a factor, but it’s more reactionary. The events have already taken place. Optimism, to me, gives me a mindset that these things may not happen. “The best possible outcome”. Even if those things happened; I still believe that I will have the best possible outcome.

If I lose my job, hope says I need to update my resume and get myself back out there. Tap into my connections. Optimism says I will find a job. It’s broad. I might get lucky and some random former client wants to bring me on. Maybe I do follow the path of hope and get it done under my control. But it will get better.

Optimism says it’s going to be fine and hope makes sure we do what we can to reach that reality. This is why hope is part of the definition of optimism for some dictionaries like Oxford.

Next time, I’m gonna talk about optimism and what some call “toxic positivity” as well as realism. In the meantime, I hope this all made sense. Optimism and hope are important, but it all starts with the mentality that things will be better through optimism.