Introduction:
In this article, I will be talking about what it means to be a pessimistic person versus an optimistic person. Knowing if you're either a pessimist or an optimist is important because it can help you look at situations with a different perspective and view of the problem or issue. This article will determine which one you are by asking you different questions about what your decision would be in certain situations. By learning which one you are, you can then discover ways to be more positive. But, before I ask the questions, I am going to give a quick definition and an example of a pessimist and an optimist for all those who are not familiar with these terms.
Definitions:
A Pessimist:
A pessimist is a person who usually sees the worst side of things or believes that the worst case scenario will occur. Another way to look at a pessimistic person is to see someone who is negative and hopeless in situations.
Example:
Someone who has a lot of homework, and after an hour manages to finish the first homework task. This person will expect that there is no possible way that they will be able to finish their homework before tomorrow, so they immediately give up without even getting halfway through the work.
An Optimist:
An optimist is a person who is usually hopeful and confident about the future or success. Another way to look at a pessimistic person is someone who is positive and has high expectations for someone or something.
Example:
I will finish as much homework as possible, and if I can’t, I will just tell my teacher and suggest a change in the deadline for the work.
Situations:
To do this ‘ Are you a pessimist or optimist quiz’, you can grab a piece of paper, and for each of the following situations, write down the letter of the option you selected. You should choose the option that truthfully describes you. To know your score, once you're done with the ‘quiz’, refer to the answer sheet below to see if you are a pessimist or an optimist!
1: You arrive late to school one morning, and miss the first class. What do you expect happened in the class?
A) My classmates did a bit of work in class, nothing that I can’t catch up from at home.
B) My classmates did so much work in class, and with already so much homework, I am never going to finish it.
C) My classmates did a lot of work in the class, but I will just call one of my classmates and they can help me finish it.
D) My classmates did a bit of work, but I won’t even bother to do it tonight because I already have so much homework.
2: You arrived at the airport about an hour ago and are waiting in the lounge to board your plane (to wherever you want to go!) After 30 minutes of waiting around, you hear an announcement saying that your plane won’t be able to board for another 2 hours. What do you assume?
A) The plane is lost in the sky, and they are not telling us the truth to keep everyone calm. But they really have no idea where the plane is!
B) The plane is probably running late because of a delay on the runway. I doubt it will take 2 hours, but if that really is the case, then my siblings and I will have more time to play games in the lounge.
C) I don’t care why the plane is running late, but the announcers are always wrong, and the plane is usually later than they expect. I am going to be waiting in this dirty lounge for 5 hours!
D) I don’t care why the plane is running late, but it’s in a way an advantage because I have more time to play in the lounge and go shopping in the gifts shops! And who knows, maybe the plane being late will actually turn out to be a good thing!
3: You are going skiing today for a family holiday! But the lines for the chairlifts that take you up the mountains are full, and by the time you make it up the mountains to ski, it will already be lunchtime. You are not sure if you will make it to your lunch reservation on time. What do you think will happen?
A) The lines might clear up, and if that is the case, then I will be lucky to enjoy a nice ski down the hill.
B) The lines will not clear up, but since I still want to ski the hill, I will go skiing and miss my reservation.
C) The lines are not going to clear up at all, and I will be forced to leave the line because I can’t miss my lunch reservation. I guess I won’t be doing any skiing today.
D) The lines are not going to clear up, but that’s alright. I will just have to ski really fast down the hills, and tell the person in charge of my reservation that I was late due to a chairlift line.
4: Your friend has already started planning her birthday party for a nice day in June. They're so excited about the party that they have already sorted out all the details for next month! But, the party is in June, which tends to be the rainiest month of the year. What do you think will happen?
A) June is still a month away, anything could happen. We can still start planning the birthday party.
B) It will probably rain, and if it does we can just move the party inside. It doesn’t have to be outside. And if you want it to be, then you are going to have to be flexible with the date.
C) It’s going to rain. Every year it does, and there is no way that this year will be any different. We should start thinking of a different month or time, because the whole party will be ruined if we plan for June.
D) There is no way that it is going to rain. The weather reporter is always wrong anyway, this party will be outside no matter what!
5: You resume online school again, it is only supposed to be for 2 weeks. What do you think of this new online situation?
A) I was not very good at online school last time, but it is a new year, I am sure I will do much better this time.
B) I was not very good at online school last time, and since I haven’t been doing very well in in-person classes, I will be horrible at this new online school.
C) I was really good at online school last time, but this is a new year and chances are I will either get better or stay the same as last time.
D) I was really good at online school last time, but that doesn’t mean that I will do as well this year.
Use this answer sheet to see if you are more of a pessimist or an optimist! For example, for Situation 1, if you selected A, the answer sheet indicates that you are an optimist! At the end you can tile your response to see if you had more pessimistic reponses or optimistic responses. If you had more pessimistic reponses, then it is likely that you are a pessimist.If you had more optimistic reponses, then you are probably an optimist.
Answer Sheet:
Which one did you get?
There’s nothing wrong with you if you are either a pessimistic person or an optimistic person.
It is important and good to know which one you are because you can better identify your negativity and positivity in your responses to situations. If you are an optimist, then you are not only positive, but tend to handle difficult situations with ease, and are likely to be less stressed in a stressful situation or position. If you are a pessimist, then you may make decisions that can result in depression, like missing a fun opportunity due to negativity and stress. You are also more likely to be stressed and have more anger in life. But that's okay! Stress is a part of life, and everyone deals with it differently. In other words, don’t change who you are. The point of this ‘quiz’ is to help you know a little more about yourself, and if you like, learn how to be more positive, less stressed, and calm by knowing your answer.
How to become more positive in situations:
Now, I am quickly going to give you some tips and tricks, and talk about how to be more positive in any situation! But, before we get into how to deal with a situation, I wanted to point out that starting every day on a positive note can make every day feel like the best day! So, every morning, when you wake up, do something that makes you feel good!
Here are a few suggestions:
Listen to music that makes YOU happy!
Work out on a bike, elliptical, treadmill etc. (This may feel like work, but it always puts me in a good mood and is scientifically proven to be healthy and motivational!)
Read something positive (a book, the news, magazines, etc.)
Go to bed early!
There are many other things you can do in the morning to start your day off in a positive way, these are just a few that work for me!
Now, I am going to explain the three rules of being positive! These rules can help you in situations where you find yourself reacting in a negative way. The first rule involves humour. Humour can give you more joy, and make you forget about why you were reacting in a negative way in the first place. The second rule is positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is one of the most important and common rules, and I am sure that everyone has used this rule at least once in their life. Positive self-talk can be anything you want that makes you feel better about yourself. You can tell yourself certain things that apply to the situation. The third, and last rule, is to focus on the positive parts of the situation. This one is pretty simple,. but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t effective. Focusing on the positive parts of the situation is actually not as easy as you might think it is. It takes a lot of practice, but with time, this rule can really help you be more positive.
Now let’s look at a situation, and use these three rules to be more positive.
Situation:
I have arrived and checked into the amusement park today with my group of friends, but all the rides that I like are closed. I really don’t want to go on the smaller rides with my friends, but I already paid for my amusement park ticket!
1. Humour:
To make the rides more fun I will close my eyes, and try not to get dizzy! I can make a video with my friends with the props that the amusement park has to offer. For example, in our video, I can use cotton candy as my mustache to play the sheriff!
2. Positive Self-Talk:
I can always go on the rides I like another time, and maybe the rides that my friends like will actually turn out to be fun! I am not going to waste my time here moping around and being upset. I will make the most of this situation, and try to have some fun with my friends!
3. Focus on the positive parts of the situation:
At least the food shops are still open, and the arcade room! I can still hang out with my friends, and even though this outing might not be what I expected, I can still make it a fun experience!
I hope these tips and tricks have helped you be more positive in situations that you may encounter in your life. Remember that it takes practice to get more positive, it doesn't come right away! Always remember that you can’t change who you are, but you can always change how you react and how you respond. Thank you for reading my article, and stay safe!