To me, skepticism is an orientation towards not believing something. Kind of a posture or position. This, to me, is what seems like a bad way to go about life.

To me, skepticism is an orientation towards not believing something. Kind of a posture or position. This, to me, is what seems like a bad way to go about life. Maybe a better way to frame this is that someone should be honest with themselves. Be aware of their fallibility and use that awareness to inform decision making. There is definitely a dark side to being overly skeptical by default. It can harm or hinder relationships, unnecessarily reinforce existing patterns/beliefs and deepen blind spots, and I think a failure mode involves obsessive compulsive tendencies + anxiety about the quality of one's work. I've been on the "clinically unhealthy" side of this mindset, and it's ultimately about balance and framing. The same can be said for optimism, which can become just as dysfunctional if not balanced with a healthy dose of reality.