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Are You a Pessimist?
Here are some things to think about.
I’m a recovering pessimist. Pessimism is my default setting. I believe being raised in poverty and seeing a lot of lying and hypocrisy has something to do with that. Growing up as a Cubs fan probably didn’t help either. Some of that stuff stays with you. So, here are some signs you are a pessimist.
1: You’ve adopted Homer Simpson’s life philosophy.
Homer once said, “Trying is the first step towards failing.” So obviously, there is no point in trying as it will only lead to disappointment.
2: Hardy Har Har is your hero.
You probably don’t know who Hardy Har Har is, do you? I just knew this would happen. Actually, he was cartoon character who was a pessimistic laughing hyena. When something went wrong, as it inevitably did, he would say, “Oh me, oh my, oh dear”. Also, something like, “I just knew this would happen.
Actually, Hardy ran around with incurable optimist, Lippy the Lion, so in context, Hardy may actually have been a realist.
3: You fall into a lot of money and immediately start to worry about taxes.
No sense in waiting to the last minute to see the negatives in a great situation.
4: Optimists annoy you.
They might say, “Well, the sun will come up tomorrow” and your response is, “Yea, right.” And then you hope it rains tomorrow.
5: You suffer from Imposter Syndrome.
You find yourself doing impressions of Donald Trump, Barack Obama and other famous people. Hang on, that’s Impressionist Syndrome. Never mind.
6: You don’t feel like the glass is half empty or half full.
It’s completely empty, and likely to stay that way.
7: All your self-talk is negative.
And since your self-talk is audible people are always calling the cops on you so you won’t be able to stay around their place of business.
