Optimism is the most rational viewpoint to have by default. Unlike pessimism or negativity, optimism is helpful even when faked because we find evidence for whichever mindset we have. As Earl Nightingale said, “we become what we think about.”
While I wouldn’t go so far as to praise irrational optimism (a la The Secret), it still might be better than default pessimism.
See also:
- This might not be true in fields where psychology overwhelms fundamentals in the short run (like financial markets)
- The quality of your mind determines the quality of your life
- Mindfulness
Links to this note
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How to Do Great Work (Literature Notes)
I read How to do great work by Paul Graham. It’s a collection of advice I’ve heard from various places. It sounds wise but it’s impossible to disprove. It leaves the practical parts of applying it to the real world up to the reader. Still, I find myself agreeing with pretty much all of it and it took me a very long time to learn these lessons.
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Cynicism Is the Opposite of Optimism and Pessimism
Cynics believe that nothing ever changes at a fundamental level. By it’s nature, cynicism is a dead end where everything stays the same over time.
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Don’t Work With People Who Are Perpetually Aggrieved
It’s difficult to work with someone who always seems to be aggrieved. It’s a sign they will blame others rather than take responsibility themselves. It’s also a sign that they won’t be interested in improving their performance or making adjustments to collaborate better with you or the team.
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Being an Optimist With Anxiety
I’m an optimist with anxiety—constantly fretting about the future, but optimistic that it will work out fine. This neatly sums up how I feel most days.
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Accountability is a distinguishing feature of progressing into leadership roles. As a general rule, moving “up” means more accountability. Being a high performing contributor means being accountable for yourself. Being a leader means being accountable for others. Being an executive means being accountable for what you can not control (e.g. the market). There are many counter examples where leaders are not held accountable or getting promoted doesn’t increase the level of accountability, but acting as a principal is still the best strategy.
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Techno-optimists believe technology can solve the world’s most pressing problems. With the right knowledge, we can find solutions to climate change like abundant clean energy. Can we acquire the knowledge to build nuclear fusion reactors? Can we do it in time?