Optimism is Realism

Hey! I am Daniel, an eighteen year old high school senior from Orlando with a brain that is bursting at the synapses with ideas. If my brain was a shirt, It would be a graphic tee, color print, with visual imagery that appeals to happiness. That being said, I am an optimist, and, by extension, a realist. If realism can be described as the tendency to view or represent things as they really are, and optimism is a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome, then they are synonymous.

Think.

We have all had experiences where our confidence was absent; we have all had experiences where we did not think we were "good enough." Often times, these situations end up failing in meeting our standards or expectations. We fall short. We lose. We miss. We fail. Without realizing it, we set ourselves up for failure by doubting our ability to succeed. We get it into our head that we are not good enough, and this negative perception of ourselves causes us to squander our potential because our confidence retracts like tiger claws, disallowing us to perform well enough to be satisfied.

It is truly a skill to be able to self-affirm yourself.

I remember the first time that I took a class online. At first, I had apprehensions and doubts that I could, being the colloquial person that I am, succeed in a solitary learning environment, a place where my teacher had a voice, but no face. I thought to myself, "how could I possibly get an A? How can I do my best so far out of my comfort zone?" And it is out of my comfort zone. In class, I generally earn good grades, even in honors and college level coursework, but I am considered the "class clown." Thoughts and connections and analogies quickly flood my head, and I usually call out answers, call out questions, and call out random, abstract thoughts that, in the words of Bilbo Baggins, seem quite "queer." Without a classroom, a teacher, and classmates, I am lacking a stage, a director, and an audience. I was alone. My attitude was pessimistic; my grade was not meeting my goal. Something had to change. After five stages of anger and avoiding my true problem, I knew what needed to be done. I began to believe I could get an A; I began to believe I was "good enough." My grade improved in a positive way. I began to look forward to independent thinking and succeeding in my uncomfortable, challenging environment. I passed the class with an A! It took optimism and perseverance, but the negativity dissappeared. I guess, to be cliche, I had it in me all along.

Whoever you are that is reading my first blog entry right now, you have it in you, too. The key is optimism. It IS completely realistic to think positive thoughts and expect positive outcomes. It is also realistic to fail in achieving your goals, but pessimism only lowers your chance to succeed. It's not even spiritual; it's pragmatic. My first message in my soon-to-be series of blogs would be that optimism truly can produce realistic outcomes. In my opinion, optimism and realism are hidden synonyms, misunderstood friends. They are the couple that you would never expect to get married, but somehow make it work.

Stay positive, friends.

Love and dreams come true,
Daniel E. Ruiz