Is the glass half-full or half empty? That’s the typical analogy of an optimistic or pessimistic view. How about if it’s half empty, then there’s room for more! And if it’s half full, you have can now quench your thirst!
Having an optimistic view no matter what gives us a chance, a possibility that things can get better. Having a pessimistic view simply shuts down all possibilities, and make you feel infinitely worse off than having an optimistic view.
The main difference is that a pessimistic view sees the present as a projection of the future. It’s bad now, and it means it’s gonna be bad or worse in the future. But by definition of future, the time of future can be infinitely long! Or at least in the constraint of a human life, that’s still many days, months, years, even decades (depending on your current life stage). Lots of possibilities can happen, and within these possibilities, many of positive experiences.
An optimistic view however, sees the present as just one moment in life. It does not translate to the future as the future contains many possible positives. And this makes life so much more wonderful to live.
Logically, having an optimistic mindset gives you a better chance of success simply because it wills you to take action, and more chances. Mathematically, the more you try, the higher probability of success. Conversely, having a pessimistic mindset will mean you are more likely to give up. No tries equal zero chance of success. The math works out for optimism.
So the next time that something don’t go your way, fret not! Things will eventually turn out right for you. It’s mathematically proven. So might as well be positive and feel happier about it!
My thoughts 