Chapter 16- The Pessimist

It is all very well to say 'I know nothing good is going to happen to me' or 'I am for sure going to flunk this exam' and so on. But how much of your pessimism do you really want to come true? Or do you want your pessimism to come true just because that is what is you though would come true? What i mean is, if you think that you are going to fail a certain exam and have told some of your friends that you would fail, would you wish to fail?
Imagine that you have not prepared for a class and your friend says 'hopefully she (the teacher) will be absent today' and you say 'i am sure she will be here today because i am not prepared' who would you want to be right?

How much of your pessimism would you want to come true indeed!

I know many a time when I am stubbornly pessimistic about something and pray 24 hours a day to let it not happen. I don't understand the point of being pessimistic then! If you do not want something to happen why do you think it will happen? You might as well think it optimistically and get the peace of mind that pessimism denies you.

But is it possible to be not pessimistic? I guess so! But definitely not by attending those confidence developing course or leadership course or something. It has to be something that we ourselves realise. Or you would say 'how true' when you attend those sessions and then forget all about it. A careful examination of our own thoughts will help you realise how easy it is to get rid of your pessimism.

You dont want it to happen. You infact strongly resist it. Just think for a while. Arent you wasting your time contemplating something you dont want to happen and then hopping for it to not happen?