4 ms·

My path: "Hope for the best, plan for the worst"

• hermannj314 13y ago
  That sounds like a much better definition of positive thinking. This article seemed to suggest that positive thinking means: "Plan for the best outcome and assume the worst will not happen." That is wishful thinking ('positive fantasies'). I don't think the two are the same thing at all.
  • normloman 13y ago
    If, by your definition, positive thinking includes preparing for the worst, how come whenever I bring up worst-case scenarios with my colleagues, they accuse me of being negative. I don't think most people share your definition.
    • hermannj314 13y ago
      I respect that point of view. I have a simple mind and not a very strong vocabulary. I have no doubt that I am probably out-of-sync with popular opinion on this topic.
  • awesomerobot 13y ago
    That's not always what it means - but it's very often how the average person pushes it. As Barbara Ehrenreich points out in her book "Bright-Sided", insisting someone has to "think positively" isn't going to cure their cancer, and the refusal of some people to face the grim reality of certain situations is just absolutely idiotic.
• hcayless 13y ago
  Just what I was thinking. Thinking about how awesome something is going to be when I'm done with it just stalls me out. I have to think: what's broken now, and how do I fix it? Similarly, when it comes to exercise, I find I'm much more motivated by fear. I will tend to slack off if I don't have a goal, but if I enter a marathon, I'm constantly thinking about how much it will suck if I haven't trained enough, and I am motivated to get out of bed early and run, or run after a long day's work. I feel great after a run, but that's not what drives me. "Fear is the spur." As a good friend of mine once said :-).