Had never considered pessimistic ways to view optimism until seeing a quote…
Shared this on my Facebook page, and wanted to share here too. Saw these quotes regarding optimism and the different perspectives. It made me chuckle because I can see both sides (I agree with the first):
“For despair, optimism is the only practical solution. Hope is practical. Because eliminate that and it’s pretty scary. Hope at least gives you the option of living.” ~Harry Nilsson
“I find nothing more depressing than optimism.” ~Paul Fussell
After several commenters responded also saying they preferred the former to the latter, this was my response:
I had never thought of optimism like the latter.
After reading it, I could see how having to think optimistically could be depressing for those that tend to sway toward the pessimistic end. After the inside of my head shifted for a bit, I saw the quote as optimism being depressing because that means things aren’t going well.
After catching myself tending to dwell on thoughts of “reality,” and noticing how much it would keep me down/stagnant, I found I prefer being optimistic after being aware of “reality”/circumstances, then choosing to dwell on the good/great/incredible blessings, knowing I may not be able to (quickly) change circumstances, but can change my outlook to handle them better for my health and well-being.
“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
~Harriet Beecher Stowe
for my Facebook page, but it became lengthy, so thought this could be an opportune time to write a blog post.
The quote is very true. I’ve witnessed it many times in my life. In fact, I was just telling my mother yesterday two instances in New York City (“NYC”) and Los Angeles (“LA”) when I received significant career opportunities, but was already on another path because I had “given up” on them.
In LA, I had auditioned for a one-time speaking role in a top major network television program, and had a great meeting with the casting director who wanted me for a recurring role, but I was already in the midst of relocating back to Hawaii.
In NYC, I was honored to be called back for consideration by a critically acclaimed and well known playwright for one of the lead roles in a revival of a classic Broadway musical. I attended the call and already had my LA phone number on my resume. The playwright said he heard I was moving to LA then asked, “When are you moving?” I answered, “Tomorrow.”
Needless to say, I was no longer in consideration, as the show was being developed in NYC, and I would have needed to be there for that.
Another opportunity that was finally taking a turn was my winning Amateur Night at the Apollo (by singing). I won, and qualified twice to proceed to the next week’s rounds, but didn’t continue as I had already relocated to LA. If you’re not too familiar with the success of those who won Amateur Night at the Apollo, musical icons would compete weekly, get noticed, then the rest would be musical history. I had gone in the first time with the thought that I wanted to see what I could do on that stage. I wanted to be able to sing the entire song (many don’t get to sing more than a couple of lines, as they can get booed off the stage), and have people clap at the end. (It was a dream to be able to get cheers after singing the first line of “I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” as well as throughout the song, then receive a standing ovation after it, especially since I only knew two people in the audience.)
Video of my singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” in Hawaii
The question is, how do we know when to keep persisting, or when to move on?
Aren’t there those that pursue ventures, situations, etc. even when it may seem obvious it is not “right”?
In the case of personal and romantic relationships, aren’t there obvious and less-obvious situations when one should “give up,” and when one should “keep on”?
When I began typing my comment about the quote, I was perplexed about my answer.
As I began typing this post, the answer came to me — I believe we “know” when we are “in tune” with our intuition/soul/gut instinct, whatever you want to call it, as well as our heart. I’d say intuition/soul/gut instinct first and primarily because it doesn’t require reason (head) or emotions (heart). I also feel the heart is an important part of making decisions, as being rooted in and with love means being able to love with the knowledge that whatever happens will ultimately happen for the best for everyone concerned.
I know when I was in those predicaments in NYC and LA years ago, I was having challenges being able to identify my intuition/soul/gut instinct, and being able to “hear” it. Since I tend to be very analytical, I can often over-think anything to a point where I can no longer identify what was that “still small voice inside” (aka intuition/soul/gut instinct), and what was my (over-)reasoning.
As I am a work-in-progress, I continue to work on developing this ability, but feel more confident in my ability to do so.
What about you? How do you know when to persist, or when to move on?
