SIMON SAYS
Friday, September 4, 2020
My friend Simon says, “A dream without a plan is a nightmare”. *
He’s right. And he’s wrong too – because no matter how clever and poignant that phrase may be, the solution for any one situation and/or any one individual is rarely a platitude.
But, you must agree, it’s a brilliant line.
Moving toward some destination of geography or position, or moving away from it, is one part calculation, one part decision, and, more importantly, overcoming inertia to take action once the choice is made. I’ve found this in so many things I suspect it is more common – perhaps more widespread – than one might first think.
The goal could be personal or professional, could be about a relationship with someone, or with ourselves – but mostly, I think it’s about our relationship with reality.
An optimist believes an optimist is “Great, someone like me,” whereas a pessimist believes an optimist is delusional.
And a realist believes realism is the only thing that matters and disregards or discounts everyone’s optimism – they steer the safe middle-road course in life. They don’t get excited much, and if they were depressed, you wouldn’t know because they are too busy putting on the face of “Everything is fine, everything is going to be OK.” Optimists do this also, but they do it with more flair and with excitement in their eyes.
What gets us further in life – is it slow, steady realism, plainly and unobtrusively carving a groove in the middle of the road, or is it pointing upward and forward with hope, zeal, and ambition for better things and better days ahead?
If there was a magic serum available on any street corner – and you had the option of choosing a dose of only one, would you select optimist juice, pessimist juice, or just ‘mist of realist’ juice.
We cannot wave a magic wand to make the world different, but we can wave a magic wand in our mind to be the kind of person we want to be, to have the sort of day or relationships or business that we want to have.
It doesn’t come in an injection form, but a way of thinking you need to swallow whole, because it will overtake your entire being.
Wave your magic wand, wake up, and be who you want to be.
I’m picking optimist, as I almost always have because it swallowed me whole a very long time ago.
Having great ideas that never get voiced is like keeping a manuscript in a drawer – it needs to be ventilated and critiqued while in full-sail in the sunshine.
*Yes, I do have a friend Simon, and he says that.
Reader feedback:
Grandkids reportedly “loved” their first day back at school. That’s one day down, RH, Calgary, AB
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